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The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from four vineyards, 43% Caliche Lake Vineyard, 26% Holmason Vineyard, 19% Frenchman Hills Vineyard, and 12% Roza Hills Vineyard all located in the Columbia Valley of Washington.
The Substance line of wines is from The House of Smith one of the top producers in the Columbia Valley, they have 200 scores of 95 points or more and over 1200 reviews of at least 90 points. To their credit, they have not forgotten value-priced wine drinkers and some of those 90+ reviews are for wine $15 or less.
The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 has a yellow label, previous vintages have a black label and they are very different wines. They were single vineyard wines with new oak barrel aging. The yellow-label wine is sourced from 4 vineyards and is mainly fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks with 10% of the Sauvignon Blanc fermented and aged in neutral French oak Bordeaux-style barrels. The black label used new French oak with larger Rhone Valley-style barrels.
I can not find any information on why the yellow-label and black-label wines are so different, but the House of Smith website refers to the Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 as a Loire Valley-style wine. The new oak barrel black label was made in the Bordeaux style. My favorite Sauvignon Blanc is the Loire wine, so I am happy with the change of direction.
Native yeast was used for fermentation. Native yeast is the yeast that naturally floats in the air and clings to the skin of the grapes. They could use commercial yeast, but it is thought that the local natural yeast is more compatible with the grapes.
The vineyards used were all cooler climate vineyards located at higher elevations, 1300 feet plus. The 2021 vintage was one of the warmest in memory, the temperatures were even which allowed a long and complete growing season. The alcohol content is 13%.
The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is a very pale lemon yellow, there is just a hint of color. The nose is bold but not in a New Zealand Sauv Blanc way, it has aromas of lemon mixed with candied pear and juicy peach, grassy notes with melon, green apple, candy spice, and lightly floral. The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is delicious, the flavors are balanced, and the acidity gives this wine a good length.
This Sauvignon Blanc tastes like juicy apple, peach, Anjou pear, lemonade, and stone fruit. The mid-palate adds that salty “on-lees” thing, dried pineapple, tropical fruit, and a late hit of tart lime.
The Summary
- The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a very easy wine to like, it is well-made and tastes great.
- This wine is crisp and bright and did I mention it tastes great?
- I never thought of the Columbia Valley as a go-to location for Sauvignon Blanc before, I guess I was wrong!
