South Australian wines receive accolades

Cabernet Sauvignon's papa deserves respect on its own
W. Blake Gray, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, May 19, 2005

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Sauvignon Blanc is like Bobby Bonds -- a great performer with a more famous power-hitting son.

In Bobby's case, his son Barry Bonds' 703 home runs have made people forget that Bobby possessed the pre-eminent power-speed combination of his era.

Cabernet Sauvignon, the primary focus of wine investors and most critics' highest-scoring wine varietal, was shown in 1997 by DNA fingerprinting to be the illegitimate son of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc -- "the result of spontaneous crossing in the vineyard" is the more polite phrase..............
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The virtues of Sauvignon Blanc are also often taken for granted. It's the most food-friendly varietal in the world. If I'm out to eat with friends and we order fish, fowl, vegetables and pasta or rice , Sauvignon Blanc is always the choice. It's great with goat cheese and passable with the most wine- unfriendly of foods, like vinegary salads and spicy curries............
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It bothers me that I couldn't find a good French Sauvignon Blanc for $10 or under this week, as France is the birthplace of the grape (and its illustrious son). As a substitute, I offer the 2004 Handpicked Limestone Coast Sauvignon Blanc ($10) from Australia, made by a French-born winemaker in a style that melds the best of the French and New World styles. The aroma is so minerally that it's like smelling a wet stone, with a hint of lime. On the palate, there's a solid mineral backbone and a persistent lime flavor with a hint of pineapple.

I raised a glass of it to the memory of the great, underappreciated Bobby Bonds.

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