If there’s a rap on Sauvignon Blanc, it’s in the familiarity of its flavor profile. A swirl of the glass, a quick sip and you know.
But Chris Christensen of Bodkin Wines refuses to play by the stainless steel, residual sugar rules of new world Sauvignon Blancs. His more traditional version, “The Victor’s Spoils” provides light, tropical fruit without any cloying drag. But the wine seems normal compared to the 2013 Bodkin “Albino.”
The “Albino” Sauvignon Blanc answers a question that no one ever really thought to ask — and answers it in memorable fashion: what if a winemaker treated the Sauvignon Blanc grape as if it were a Cabernet Franc — and one made with a combination of Medieval and modern techniques?
Green apple and fresh lemon aromas rise first from the glass. What follows after is an olfactory tour, with dry nut shells, a whiff of tomato, hints of stone and copper and other impressions so fleeting they seem to vanish at the moment of detection.
The flavors are even more intriguing. An initial burst of citrus lurks a haunting forest. Traces of tinny smoke lace the fruit, a mellow nuttiness compounds the surprisingly rich mouthfeel. A curious effervescence, as if ginger had been deprived of much of its sting, steps forward from more vegetal notes. And there’s a hint of wax, a faint trace of honey, buried minerals and a bittersweet sensation that makes itself known on the finish.
It is not a normal Sauvignon Blanc.
“Skin fermentation,” Christensen said, explaining the distinct wine. In fact, he repeated the notion.
“It’s supposed to be ‘out there,’” he added. “It’s something I’ve been working on — getting drama from Sauvignon Blanc.”
Christensen fermented the Lake County grapes on lees for a month in a concrete egg shaped tank and nine more in both French oak and acacia barrels. Dismissing the notion that Sauvignon Blanc requires a boost of Semillon to survive in wood, he choose to go 100 percent with the varietal.
He racked just once and left it unfiltered.
“This brings it to 11,” Christensen said, referencing a line from the cult classic film “This is Spinal Tap.”
Yes, the wine is a cloudy straw in color. And the fruit is zesty. But it also flexes like a huskier red wine, especially in mouthfeel.
By contrast, Bodkin’s 2014 “Victor’s Spoils” shows more conventional Sauvignon Blanc tendencies, without lapsing into the all-too-familiar. There are strong citrus flavors and a dry, crisp character, bounded by flecks of spice and a metallic minerality.
“I enjoy that wine,” Christensen pointed out.
The wine spent much of its time fermenting in stainless steel, but he transferred to oak and left it on lees for an extended period to draw more from the skins. But what really sets it apart was Christensen’s determination to harvest when he determined the grapes to be ripe, not when sugar and acidity tests hit anticipated numbers.
As a result, the 2014 “Victor’s Spoils” is lower in alcohol while still providing intense flavor.
“You pick ripe, you lose the citrus,” Christensen observed, calling the wine “very California in nature.”
So, one winemaker, two very distinct yet desirable Sauvignon Blancs.
“Those are both ends of the spectrum,” Christensen said.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
