If you have the Chardonnay habit, summer is a good time to kick it. Those oaky, rich Chardonnays have their place, but something about the clean, crisp taste of Sauvignon Blanc is appealing when the temperature soars and we seek lighter foods and compatible wines. Sauvignon Blanc is just another of the great vitis vinifera indigenous to Europe with hundreds of years of success in France making white wines, and now grown with equally great success most notably in California, Australia and Chile. The best white Graves also have a structure, depth and finish that would surprise the white wine drinker who has never tried them. White Graves is usually smoothed and tempered by a percentage of semillion grapes.
Graves can be very pale to a slightly yellow straw color with green tints.
Wine makers in the Loire Valley south west of Paris also use Sauvignon Blanc, but with quite different results than those from Graves. Sancerre is always crisp with an acidity that makes it very refreshing. Sancerre generally does not have the depth and the austerity of Graves, but can have good structure, so it will stand up to a variety of grilled fish, sauces and whatever spices make these foods special. Unlike most white Bordeaux, the Loire Sauvignon Blancs do not have semillon added. Chateau Oliver and Chateau La Louviere are usually quite available.