Learn about some exceptional wines while enjoying the cozy wine cellar at the Saluda Inn.

June 2008 Wine Tasting at the Saluda Inn

Joni and Rich Rauschenbach, owners of The Cellar at the Saluda Inn recently decided to clean out their wine cellar. They recruited some local friends and neighbors to assist them with this big job. The main goal for the night was to go through the Sauvignon Blanc’s. General consensus in wine circles is that Sauvignon Blanc’s are made to consume within a couple of years after being bottled. But, what do you do if you have some that have a little more age on them then just a few years? Instead of dumping them, (which may very well be the second sin, the first being waiting so long to open them in the first place), we decided to take our chances and try them out. We were able to recruit a number of volunteers for this project.

To enhance the enjoyment of the wine tasting, there were various cheeses and fruits especially selected to pair with the different Sauvignon Blancs. Guests were also presented with information that would help them to learn about the wine and how to identify its unique flavors and aromas.

We began with a 1997 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre. Yes, it is an 11 year old Sauvignon Blanc but since it is a French wine, I was hoping it would be up to the test as I’ve heard that everything in France ages well. After some sniffing, swirling and sipping, we all came to the same conclusion that not only was it OK to drink, it was actually quite good.

Next we opened a straw colored Chateau Potelle Sauvignon Blanc from 2000. Chateau Potelle is a Napa vineyard owned by Frenchman Jean Noel Formeaux. His wife is the winemaker and they have brought the French winemaking style to California. We figured this would be the perfect wine to follow the Sancerre. Although this French winemaker insists his wines age well, the elegant and lively flavors expected with a Sauvignon Blanc were old and worn and not very enjoyable.

We went down under for our next sample, a 2001 Sauvignon Blanc from the Grove Mill Vineyard in Marlboro, New Zealand. This area produces a refreshingly different style of Sauvignon Blanc, maintaining elegance and liveliness yet adding a unique, almost indescribable subtlety on the finish. This wine seemed to hold its own. This finish had everyone going immediately for the next sip in an effort to identify “that taste.” The fruit was still lively and the flavors carried on through the finish. Many tasters described it as having the most unique flavors and aromas of them all including asparagus and sugar snap peas.

We followed with Schug North Coast Sauvignon Blanc. This 1997 was the current winemaker, Michael Cox’s second year at the winery. He boasts a balance of old world understanding and modern winemaking techniques. From the bottle, this particular wine was looking a little more golden in color that is normally not favorable for a Sauvignon Blanc. Although still drinkable, most described it as “flabby,” and in all fairness, it was an old California wine.

The final two wines in the cellar were from one of my current favorite wineries, Dry Creek Vineyards of Dry Creek, California. David Stare the owner has a very wholesome approach to his wines, which present themselves as “right on the mark” every time. His deep passion for France is reflected in his wines. We tried a 1996 25 th anniversary Fume Blanc and a 1997 Fume Blanc. The 1996 was full flavored and had a smoky waft to its finish with a slight essence of fruit; however it seemed to dwindle. The 1997 had more crisp fruit flavors and a cleaner finish. The results were surprisingly split right down the middle and both were considered still very drinkable.

At the conclusion of the evening, many people admitted first of all that they didn’t think they even liked white wines until the tasting. Most agreed on a couple favorites and were encouraged to open their own old whites that they have been saving for way too many years. It seems that the overall favorite was the 1997 Bordeaux, Sancerre. She still had the same aromatic nose and the austere flavors of a steely-limestone and presented herself very well for an 11-year-old Sauvignon Blanc. It seems that not only the French age well, but so do their Sauvignon Blancs!

The Saluda Inn will be offering future wine tastings. If you are interested in being added to the tasting list, please email us at wine@saludainn.com.

Don’t save it – drink it!