1 Wine Dude

A Serious Wine Blog For the Not-So-Serious Drinker

Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • New? Start Here!
    • PR & Samples
    • Press & What-Have-You
  • Wine
    • by badge
      • crowd pleaser
      • elegant
      • kick-ass
      • overachiever
      • sexy
    • Full Reviews
    • Mini-Reviews
  • Stalk
    • Follow me on News Break!
    • facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • pinterest
    • twitter
    • YouTube
  • Sign Up
  • Books
  • Services
  • Contact
Menu
1 Wine Dude

California, Cat Piss, Saints & Twitter (or “Joe vs. Napa Sauvignon Blanc”)2 min read

Posted on July 13, 2009July 14, 2009 by 1WineDude

in California wine, commentary

By all accounts, the is past Saturday’s Twitter Taste Live! event, featuring selections from Napa Valley stalwart St. Supery, was a big success.  Some estimates on the event put the number of twitter event posts at greater than 700 (I’ve not seen any definitive statistics yet), which would likely make it the biggest TTL event to date in terms of raw participation.  Undoubtedly the wide availability of St. Supery wines helped to send this event over the top, in twitter terms.

No matter how you look at it, 700 tweets is a lot of exposure for St. Supery – especially when you consider that the participants needed to have the St. Supery wines in order to get the full TTL experience.

During the event, I was pleasantly surprised by St. Supery’s Sauvignon Blanc-based wines.  This is because I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.  Which is to say, I almost love to hate Napa Valley SB because in my experience they’re way too bloated and flabby to compare with the best efforts from New Zealand and France.  I was beginning to wonder if NV SB was a fad that needed to die, sort of like Napa’s questionable experimentation with Sangiovese-based wines.  Wine geeks often refer to SB’s pungent aromas as “Cat pee,” a term I tend to avoid when describing any wine that other humans might actually want to try, but I made reference to the term during Saturday’s TTL event, when I expressed surprise at how enjoyable the St. Supery SB’s were:

I suppose I expected some measure of challenge to that statement.  I just didn’t expect it to come less than 24 hours after I’d made it…

One such challenge came, appropriately, via twitter.  It was from Michael Silacci, Opus One’s talented and hospitable winemaker (you can read more on my conversations last year with Michael here).  Michael came to the defense of his fellow Napa Valley wine producers, issuing a dare of sorts for me to try Toquade’s SB:

I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, or one to shy away from admitting mistakes, especially if it means I get to try some potentially tasty wines in the process.

So let it be known – if the gauntlet is being thrown, then I’m game for blind tastings of Sauvignon Blanc.

I suppose this means that now I”ve got yet another task on my plate, and that I’ll need to get some samples of Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley and elsewhere.  I’ll leave it up to the PR folks reading to consider some wines and contact me for samples.

Just leave the actual cat piss at home, okay?

Cheers!

p.s. – It’s great to see that Rick Bakas, one of our wine blogging own, was brought on by St. Supery to handle their social media duties.  There’s a general feeling of goodwill and positive vibes in the wine blogging community that one of our boys got “made.” Congrats, Rick!

(images: cannedpets.com, 1winedude)

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

13 thoughts on “California, Cat Piss, Saints & Twitter (or “Joe vs. Napa Sauvignon Blanc”)2 min read”

  1. Evan Dawson says:
    July 13, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    Joe – Are you planning to pay for Sauv Blanc samples on your own, or just have wine reps send them to you? Just curious. Have to say that Sauv Blanc is just not in my wheelhouse, but I'm always curious to learn more. Best of luck…

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2009 at 3:53 pm

      Both, probably. It's highly unlikely I'll get some of the better, more progressive NV SBs any other way than via samples (remember, I live in PA).

  2. Ron McFarland says:
    July 13, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Good idea to organize a Sauvignon blanc tasting – it is a such a wonderful food wine with its wide range of flavors. It is a great varietal to seek out and explore froom all regions of the world.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2009 at 4:44 pm

      I love SB, which is why I cringe at many of the Napa SBs that are on the market at the moment – in my view, they don't typically offer a good representation of what's possible with SB.

  3. Bean Fairbanks says:
    July 13, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    I am not usually the captain of the Sauvignon Blanc fan club either. Yet, I enjoyed comparing these Napa SBs with the Washington Sauvignon Blancs that I am more familiar with. Its true when I think of SB, I think Washington or New Zealand not Napa.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2009 at 5:24 pm

      I'm glad it's not just me, then! :-)

      Actually, I'm getting far more support from people who are on the side of Napa SBs being too flabby than those that defending Napa SBs.

      Right now, it's tough to beat NZ and the Loire for SB (though certainly there not the only areas producing killer stuff).

  4. Dylan says:
    July 13, 2009 at 5:42 pm

    So far we've been having some great response out of the gate for Captûre's SB release, though we're located in Sonoma rather than Napa. I was unaware of the stigma that many SBs in Napa carried, but I'm glad there are some good ones rising to the top. Also, is that your cat, Joe? I have a Burmese back at home that looks just like him–but he uses a litter box.

    1. 1winedude5036 says:
      July 13, 2009 at 6:43 pm

      Not my cat, bro – I've got a hunting dog, so I don't even want to think about what might happen to my house if I had that cat and that dog living together…

  5. SREMI (Steve Remillong) says:
    July 13, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    Can Napa Sauvignon Blanc Stand Up to The World’s Best? | 1 Wine Dude http://tinyurl.com/lyp6sw

  6. Vinogirl says:
    July 14, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    The Groth SB never has any cat piddle, definately a 'hot weather' SB…but the best Napa SB, because it is almost Sancerre-like and thoroughly food friendly, is the Farell-Park SB.
    Please don't dismiss all Napa SB's…it was 100 degrees today, and when I got home from the winery, it was a goat cheese salad and a Groth SB. Perfect!
    Oh…also the generic Napa Honig SB…not their gross oaked Rutherford offering.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 15, 2009 at 10:11 am

      Thanks!

  7. vinogirl says:
    July 15, 2009 at 3:45 am

    That would be Farella-Park…oops!

Comments are closed.

Dude’s New Books

Wine Taster's Guide Now Available!

“Bravo! Wine Taster's Guide is a perfect primer for both wine novices and learning enthusiasts." ―Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier

Wine Taster's Journal Now Available!

"Wine Taster's Journal belongs in everyone's cellar… preferably wine-stained, dog-eared, and well-used.” ―Brian Freedman, wine/spirits/travel columnist

Get Some Wine

Popular Stuff

  • Wine in the Time of Coronovirus, Part 21: Touchable (Tasting Untouched By Light)
    Wine in the Time of Coronovirus, Part 21: Touchable (Tasting Untouched By Light)
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 21, 2020
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 21, 2020
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For January 11, 2021
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For January 11, 2021
  • A Quiet Resistance (Eyrie Vineyards Original Vines Pinot Noir, In Retrospect)
    A Quiet Resistance (Eyrie Vineyards Original Vines Pinot Noir, In Retrospect)
  • Carignan, My Wayward Son (Chile's Carignan Renaissance for NVWA)
    Carignan, My Wayward Son (Chile's Carignan Renaissance for NVWA)

About + Contact

Joe Roberts

Joe Roberts

Certified Specialist of Wine & WSET Advanced
Author, speaker, consultant, wine judge, & critic.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed

Find Stuff

Sign up, lushes!

Join 36,566 other subscribers

Fine Print

This site is licensed under Creative Commons.

Code of Ethics and Privacy Policies.

Play nice!

Get The Guide

Wine Tasters Guide Footer
#1 New Release in Amazon's Wine Tasting category
This site uses cookies. Duh. Cookie Policy
©2021 1 Wine Dude
Yo yo YO!

Wine Tasters Guide InstagramWell, hello there!

If you like what you’re reading (and want to like more of what you’re drinking), consider subscribing.

If you’re up for a more immersive wine learning experience, check out my books and other services.

Cheers!

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.