Introduction
One of the first wines I drank in my early twenties was Sauvignon Blanc. The Mateus Rosé we started our wine adventure with was becoming too sweet for the palate. We needed a value dry wine to pair with Aussie Garlic Prawns. Out jumped an inexpensive bottle of Entre-Deux-Mers!
The name Entre-Deux-Mers comes from marée, the French word for the tide. The two rivers are subject to the influence of ocean tides, and the region is thus entre Deux Marées, or “between two tides”.
Mouton Cadet was our brand. A light-bodied, dry, refreshing white wine with flavours of lemon, white peach and notes of white flower blossoms.
Sauvignon Blanc over the Globe
Sauvignon Blanc is grown all over the world but five regions capture the nuances of the grape.
- The quintessential Bordeaux appellation for Sauvignon Blanc is Graves, which takes its name from its soil, the French word for gravel. The wine has a subtle citrus character, and the Sémillon blends reveal honeysuckle.
- The white wines of Sancerre in the Loire Valley may be the purest expression of the grape, highlighting a steely grace and minerality in the form of wet stone! There are also pleasant wafts of white peach, fresh-cut grass and green bell pepper.
- California has its’ own Sauvignon Blanc clone which exhibits a straw colouration and ripe grapefruit and Mandarin orange on the palate.
- Chile also grows the California clone but here the wines are crisp with intense minerality.
- New Zealand now has a huge share of the global Sauvignon Blanc market. The Marlborough region is the most famous. The wine comes alive with tropical fruit – kiwi, pineapple etc. I have spent many wonderful hours poolside sipping Monkey Bay, Kim Crawford and their friends in the Phoenix heat.
BC Sauvignon Blanc
This brings us to British Columbia and the Okanagan style. Sauvignon Blanc is the 5th most popular white varietal. The styles vary from flinty Sancerre to creamy Bordeaux Sémillon blends and extend to cool New Zealand style with tropic fruit notes.
So with this introduction, here in no particular order, are the Top 12 BC Sauvignon Blanc wines for good value.
Black Market Collusion 2019 ($25.90)
50% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Sémillon.
The Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the SLOW Vineyard in Naramata, the Sémillon from a vineyard between Oliver and Osoyoos. The Sauvignon Blanc was so dominant that this year it was reduced from the normal 75% in the Collusion blend. A portion of the Sauvignon Blanc was fermented and aged in neutral oak barrels. The rest of the Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel. The Sémillon was barrel-fermented and aged in neutral oak for 10 months.
The blend is a marriage of the acidity and brightness from the Sauvignon Blanc with the texture and creaminess from the Semillon.
11.8% Alcohol, TA 7.3 gm/L, RS 1.4 gm/L
The vibrant dry white blend has perfect acid levels with citrus blossom on the nose. On the palate, honeydew melon, gooseberry and grapefruit, minerality, caramel and butterscotch from the addition of barrel ageing and with a light to medium body. A very elegant white wine. Great to drink alone or paired with seafood. 92 Points
Winemaker’s CUT Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($24)
Vineyards – 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Estate Vineyard, Deadman Lake Vineyard, Oliver BC. 450 cases were produced.
Harvest– hand-harvested 17th and 26th Sept. 2020 at an average of 22.0 Brix, 4 tons per acre
Winemaking – cold-soaked for 1 day, wild and organic yeast fermented for 48 days. 25% Slovakian oak.
Technical Data – 12.0 % Alcohol, 3.27 pH, 7.5 TA, 4.1 RS
Aromas of citrus and tropical fruits. The wine is alive when it reaches your tongue. A very vibrant wine. Flavours of pineapple, kiwi, lemon, key lime and red grapefruit. The wine has a light creamy texture, with minerality and a long finish.
A fruit-forward style wine that is great with seafood or standalone. It was paired with BBQ Pork Tenderloin and was amazing. Enjoy this fabulous BC example of Sauvignon Blanc! 92 Points
For other excellent Winemaker’s CUT wines see Winemaker’s CUT 2021 Releases.
River Stone Good Neighbour Series Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($24.90)
Enticing aromas of vibrant citrus and tropical fruits, interwoven with delicate floral whispers. On the palate, crisp green apple dances with zesty Meyer lemon and Key lime, unfolding into a tropical medley of pineapple, honeydew melon, and passionfruit. Silky, beautifully textured mouthfeel, culminating in a long, lingering finish. 91 Points
Township 7 Interlude Sauvignon Blanc 2024
“Sourced from the historic Bacchus Vineyard in Washington, initially planted in 1972 on varied sandy loam soils. This hand-harvested Sauvignon Blanc was primarily fermented cool in stainless steel to preserve its bright, fresh fruit character, with a touch aged in two second-fill French barriques to add texture and depth. The result is a vibrant, fruit-driven wine with luscious tropical notes, a beautifully rounded palate, and a crisp, refreshing finish.”
Vineyard: Bacchus, Wahluke Slope, WA
Tech Data: Alc. 14.3% | pH 3.32 | TA 6.8 g/L | RS 1.9 g/L | Vegan
Vibrant aromas of zesty citrus, ripe peach, and delicate floral notes. This vintage carries a slightly elevated alcohol level compared to past releases. On the palate, it unfolds with bright Meyer lemon, crisp green apple, and juicy white peach, offering a plush, well-rounded mouthfeel and culminating in a lively, refreshing finish. 91 Points.
Mayhem Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($20.97)
Hand-picked from a single vineyard on the Naramata Bench on September 21st, the fruit was gently whole bunch pressed. It was racked off its lees and fermented slowly in stainless steel over seven weeks, with maximum fermentation temperatures only reaching 12°C to preserve the delicate aromatics. The final blend is from 92% stainless steel tank and 8% seasoned barrique. It was aged for four months on fine lees before bottling.
Alcohol 13.1% / pH 3.03 / TA 8.2 / RS 0.11
This is a bone-dry Sauvignon Blanc, perfect for pairing with seafood. The wine opens with intense aromas of tropical fruit. The wine has flavours that start with passionfruit and lime zest, followed by kiwifruit and fresh mango. Fresh, reinvigorating and ready to drink! 91 Points
Chronos Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($29.99)
Hand-harvested, and hand sorted, the Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Silver Barrel Vineyard between Penticton and Okanagan Falls. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed followed by a slow cool ferment and then straight to the bottle to capture all the aromatics.
Aromas of citrus, and tropical fruits with floral notes. Flavours of pineapple, honeydew melon and passionfruit with green apple on the finish. A perfectly balanced wine. 91 Points
Hester Creek CVC Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($19)
Hester Creek Sauvignon Blanc CVC with Coho Salmon
“The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were hand harvested on September 2, 2024 in the White Bluffs AVA of the Columbia Valley. Once harvested, they were loaded into temperature-controlled trucks and brought to our crush pad the same day as picking. The grapes were hand sorted, destemmed and cold settled for two days. Our team racked off the juice lees and began a 21-day fermentation. The resulting wine was racked and cross-blended to be aged in stainless steel for four months and bottled on January 22, 2025.” Mark Hopley
12.7% Alcohol / pH 3.03 / TA 7.56 / RS 3.86
Vibrant and expressive, this wine unveils an enticing bouquet of lemon zest, juicy grapefruit, honeydew melon, and crisp Asian pear. On the palate, it reveals a lush, layered complexity, striking a harmonious balance with a subtly creamy texture. Bright, lively flavours burst forth, weaving together zesty citrus, succulent ripe melon, and a refined mineral undertone that lingers gracefully. 91 Points.“
Blasted Church Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022
The first harvest of Sauvignon Blanc for this wine came from the Sitrus Hill Vineyard on the northern shores of Osoyoos Lake on September 30th. The estate Sauvignon Blanc was harvested next on October 10th. The Semillon portion of the blend was harvested on October 19th.
The fruit was whole cluster pressed before being racked to second, third, and fourth-fill French oak barrels and puncheons for fermentation and aging on lees for six months. At the six-month point, all of the wines were racked to stainless steel for a couple of months to bring the tension back into the wine. The two picks of Sauvignon Blanc and the Semillon provided a great palette from which to blend the final wine, with herbaceous notes and a bracing acidity as well as a rich tropical profile.
12% Alcohol. Citrus and green apple aromas. Flavours of honeydew melon, lime and green apple with a rounded mouthfeel. 90 points
Clos du Soleil Capella 2019 ($26.90)
Vineyard Sources: Whispered Secret Vineyard, Keremeos BC (SB); Dhaliwal Bros Vineyard, Oliver BC (Sémillon) – 83% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Sémillon.
Each vineyard block was separately harvested, by hand, at peak maturity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed and then fermented entirely in barrels (82% French oak puncheons, 18% stainless steel barrels) with the majority undergoing only wild, spontaneous fermentation. 1/4 of the barrels were also allowed to undergo wild malolactic fermentation. All lots were barrel-aged for nine months, on the lees, with lees stirring.
The final wine was created by blending together just the very best barrel lots, in order to create a wine of true complexity and elegance.
Alcohol 13.5% | pH 3.07 |TA 8.33 gm/L | RS .6 gm/L
The classic Bordeaux blend is a gorgeous rich straw colour. Vibrant aromas of grapefruit, lemon and lime zest and meadow grasses. The wine has complex flavours of Meyer lemon, Key Lime and pink grapefruit with a hint of passionfruit and tropical notes. The dry wine has fresh vigorous acidity, an elegantly textured mouthfeel from the sur lie ageing and a supple mineral backbone. 92 points.
The SB is excellent with all seafood and roasted chicken.
Dirty Laundry Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($21.99)
“Fruit sourced from Yakima Valley, WA, vineyards, fermented separately with various yeasts to give us some blending options. Fruit was destemmed and crushed, soaked on skins for 2 hours under CO2 in the press before gently pressing off skins into stainless tanks. Lees stirring in stainless tanks is performed once daily to build complexity and body. Fermentation temperatures were kept low to preserve the delicate aromatics of Sauvignon Blanc.”
Alcohol % 12.9 / pH 3.37/ TA 5.3 / RS 1.9
Pale lemon in hue, this wine captivates with vivid aromas of tropical fruit, zesty citrus, and fresh spring herbs. Its medium-bodied palate is crisp and fruit-forward, offering a harmonious balance of bright acidity and vibrant flavours, including gooseberry, lemon zest, lime, mandarin orange, passion fruit, and a subtle hint of grapefruit. Refreshing and elegant, it finishes with finesse. 92 Points.
Red Rooster Sauvignon Blanc 2020
The grapes are from the Oliver Vineyard with glaciofluvial rock soils that support minerality and freshness. 100% stainless steel ageing. 12.5% Alcohol.
Clear and bright with an aroma of white blossoms and stone fruit. The dry SB has a light to medium body and a smooth yet refreshing mouthfeel. Flavours of green apple, passionfruit and Meyer lemon with a hint of honeycomb and minerals on the invigorating finish. Enjoy now with seafood. 91 points
Church & State Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($23)
Stainless steel fermentation, aged for 6 months with 10% in French Oak.
13.3 % Alcohol | TA 6.3 g/L | RS 4.1g/L
Bright yellow appearance with hints of green. Initial aromas of lime and grapefruit open into white peach and tropical fruit. A medium-body wine with vibrant acidity, mineral notes, subtle saline and elegant citrus that leans toward white grapefruit. 91 Points
Conclusion
British Columbia winemakers deliver many excellent Sauvignon Blancs. I would love to hear from you about these wines or other great BC Sauvignon Blancs I have missed sampling in the comment section below.