Taming the Wild Ones: Sauvignons - Blanc and Cabernet by Melvyn Minnaar

The wines selected for this round in the Premium and Value Selections may well evoke a little forgivable frisson. Yes, there is certainly the thrill of some exciting new releases on the way, but for some of us the very word ‘sauvignon’ is much more than a tickle of fancy.

From the French ‘sauvage’ - ‘savage, uncivilised, rude (people, life); wild, untamed (beast); barbarous, brutal (custom)’, according to Harrap’s - the word seems to sum up exactly what we want and expect from wine made from two of the most popular wine grapes in the world.

Every time you encounter sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon could and should feel like an adventure. (Winemakers will tell you it is exactly that kind of challenge when the newly-harvested grapes come into the cellar.) Needless to say, if the ‘wild ones’ had been tamed, they deliver a thrill that surpasses few other pleasures. (Being rather forceful of nature, these are grapes that often need to be partnered by other, less obstreperous varieties. Maybe merlot, as in the classic blends included in the present selection.)

That frissonnement of something savage subjugated may well be locked in the unmistakeable aromatics of both the white and red sauvignon. It would be fair to suggest that even a fairly novice wine lover will be able to recognise the powerful smells that typical sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon exude from the tasting glass.

Although individual and distinct, both generally share a common herbaceous character, related to what is known as ‘green pepper’ flavour. This is caused by the so-called pyrazine compounds in the grape. It could be delivered in quite a pungent nose, especially in early-harvested versions of sauvignon blanc. One can well understand why the French called it ‘wild’ or ‘brutal’.

(Cabernet sauvignon takes a while to ripen and loses the obvious pyrazine qualities as the sun’s heat impact on it. The ‘green’ flavour sometimes talked about in cabernet may relate to grapes harvested less ripe.)

That they share this high-profile aromatic presence  - and how many times have one not picked up on that delicious, clean black currant (Ribena or/and cassis) flavour in both young cabernet sauvignon and crispy, new sauvignon blanc? -  is not coincidental. The two sauvignons are indeed related.

Until about decade ago, cabernet sauvignon was thought to be an ancient grape that had, by the 18th century, found a pleasant, agreeable home in the Bordeaux region, and the Médoc in particular.

Close-by, was white sauvignon blanc, which probably is a vitis vinifera indigenous to Southwest France.

But red cabernet sauvignon, the well-known viticultural scientist Carole Meredith of the University of California Davis, USA, announced in 1997, was, in fact, a chance off-spring of cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc that happened in the 17th century. (Grape varietals are cheerful cross-overs - as is evident in some of the silly ‘new’ grapes that have been made in laboratories and field the past century.)

That cabernet sauvignon is a ‘run-away child’ is somewhat ironic, given that it is frequently named first when the so-called noble varieties are summoned. (A decent cabernet sauvignon is still regarded by many as the ultimate status wine for an estate; with ‘cult’ versions achieving the highest prices.) (Cabernet franc, that one delightful charmer in well-made wines, is of real pedigreed descent, as is the wild white, sauvignon blanc.)

For those sensitive to poetic associations, ‘run-away-child’ will recall too L'Enfant Sauvage, Francois Truffaut’s enthralling avant-garde 1970 film. Based on the 1806 memoirs of French physician Jean Itard, it is a riveting tale of how the doctor found a child living like a forest animal and proceeds to ‘tame’ and educate him. Yet, the ‘wild’ streak is ever a mysterious presence. Think your great sauvignon experience.

And, if we talk of those swinging times, there is Christian Dior’s Eau Sauvage, one of the world’s first and most successful perfumes for men, launched in 1966. A seamless blend of citrus, rosemary and basil, it defined masculinity in aromatics: pure sensual adventure. Isn’t that what lure us to the sauvignons too?  

Which brings us back to seven of the wines offered in this selection: the ‘wild ones’s shared patronage and the sensual thrill of the encounter.

Symbolically-speaking, wine, one of man’s great achievements, is a process of bringing the untamed that nature offers to order. What better wines than great sauvignons to signal the wondrous wine ritual and passage from vineyard, through cellar, by bottle, to dinner table and pleasurable fulfilment.