Review: Ondine Chattan Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is one of those wine varieties that can come to life in one of many different personalities. Some are super tropical, some are elegant and mineral, some have overwhelming grassy aromas, and some are perfectly balanced. Some are made in styles I enjoy, while others can be over the top for my taste.

The wide range of possibilities makes me reluctant to buy a Sauvignon Blanc, unless I know it, for fear of getting one I don’t like. When I don’t know the brand I’ll use the location it was produced as the next best indicator of style. I know New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is likely to have intense grassy aromas that I might not dig, and I know a Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc is going to be much more elegant and up my ally.

But what about California? Sauvignon Blanc from California can be all over the place, depending on the winemaking style and where in California the fruit is grown. So you need to roll the dice sometimes and see what you get.

This Sauvignon Blanc, produced by Ondine Chattan, comes from Mendocino, where the style tends to be fruit driven but balanced. And that’s what you get with this one, balance. It’s clearly a Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s not over the top. It’s flat out enjoyable.

It has a nice, elegant nose with white peach, pear, lime, herbs and flinty mineral aromas. The palate delivers crisp white peach, granny smith apple and lemon flavors with vibrant acidity. The mouthfeel is nice too. It has a fairly lengthy finish, with lemon, peach and mineral flavors.

This wine is only available from Naked Wines, which uses crowd funding to finance the production of wines and then offers those wines for discounted purchase to their supporters. If you’re interested in better understanding what they do and how it works,  read my explanation of it in this review. And if you’re interested in trying them out, they’ve provided a special offer for readers of this site to get 12 bottles of wine for $79.99 (shipping included) just click on that link to get that deal.

Wine: Ondine Chattan Sauvignon Blanc
Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2018
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.71 Market Price / $12.99 Angel Price at NakedWines.com
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.