Our blind tasting game—without the tasting! Can you identify a wine just by reading its tasting note? We post real Wine Spectator reviews. You use clues such as color, aromas, flavors and structure to figure out the grape, age and origin. Good luck!
Tasting Note: An up-front, friendly style, with floral and citrus perfume followed by zesty citrus peel, yellow apple and lime pulp notes. Reveals a glycerol texture and white pepper accents throughout the flint-edged finish
And the answer is...
Variety
Our mystery white wine is friendly and zesty with floral, citrus, apple, flint and pepper notes. Let’s figure out what it is!
We can begin by eliminating Gewürztraminer, which tends to make wines with lower levels of acidity and distinctive lychee notes.
Roussannes can have moderate levels of acidity along with citrus and floral notes. But we would expect hallmark notes of wax and pastry from a Roussanne. Let’s move on!
Airén could show our wine’s citrus, yellow apple and floral notes. Unfortunately, it would be unusual for Airén to show our wine’s zesty quality, due to that grape’s lower levels of acidity. It has to go too!
While a lighter, less ripe Chardonnay could show our wine’s zesty fruit, floral and flint notes, our wine’s white pepper and lime pulp flavors would be unusual for a Chardonnay. Maybe another grape works better?
Sauvignon Blancs often show a zesty range of citrus, floral and orchard fruit notes, potentially with flinty and peppery accents. This sounds closest to the mark.
This wine is a Sauvignon Blanc.
Country or Region of Origin
Sauvignon Blanc is an international grape variety, but you won’t find much of it growing in Germany. There is some Sauvignon Blanc grown in Spain, but much of this is used for blends with grapes like Verdejo. There are several producers working with Sauvignon Blanc in Oregon, but the grape hasn’t achieved nearly as much significance in the Beaver State as other white varieties like Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. One key region for Sauvignon Blanc is California, where versions tend to be riper and richer with cream and tropical fruit notes. This contrasts with Sauvignon Blancs from France, which tend to be lighter with more emphasis on zesty citrus and mineral notes. French Sauvignon Blanc is the most on target here.
This Sauvignon Blanc is from France.
Appellation
We know that our Sauvignon Blanc is from France, so we can eliminate Oregon’s Dundee Hills, Spain’s La Mancha, Germany’s Pfalz and California’s Ramona Valley. This leaves us with two French options: Beaune and Pouilly-Fumé. At the heart of France’s Burgundy region, Beaune is a central area for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, but not for Sauvignon Blancs. But farther west, in the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc is a key white grape in appellations like Pouilly-Fumé, where versions tend to have a distinctive flint characteristic.
This Sauvignon Blanc is from Pouilly-Fumé.
Age
Our Sauvignon Blanc’s fruit notes are still fresh and zesty, meaning that it is likely still on the younger side. Bearing in mind that many Loire Valley wineries tend to age their Sauvignon Blancs for at least six months, often in stainless steel tanks and then for a time in bottle, let’s take a look at the Loire’s most recent vintages to figure out our wine’s age.
The Loire Valley experienced interchanging periods of bright sunshine and rain in the spring of 2022, and that year’s Pouilly-Fumés tend to be rich and expressive with herb, pastry and nut accents. There was difficult weather for the Loire in 2021, with frosts and heavy rain and hail; that year’s Sauvignon Blancs are leaner with zesty citrus and orchard fruit notes with minerals, spice and floral accents. 2020 had an ideal growing season thanks to a wet, late winter and an early spring that built up water reserves for a hot summer; whites from that vintage are packed with green fruit and herb notes. Out of our options, 2021’s Sauvignon Blancs sound the most like what we’re looking for.
This Sauvignon Blanc is from the 2021 vintage, making it three years old.
Wine
This is the Joseph Mellot Pouilly-Fumé Le Troncsec 2021, which scored 89 points in the July 31, 2023, issue of Wine Spectator. It retails for $38, and 4,000 cases were made. For more on Loire Valley wines, read senior editor Kristen Bieler’s tasting report, "A Revival in the Loire," in the Nov. 30, 2023, issue.
—Collin Dreizen, assistant managing editor
