I was looking for some whites the other day at the grocery store, perhaps to pretend that the winter has given way to spring. That hasn’t happened of course, but a girl can dream… I saw this on an endcap, and it ended up in my cart, without so much as a read of the back of the bottle. I know. I live dangerously.
2014 Hess North Coast Sauvignon Blanc (this pic is from a 2012, but you get the idea…)
This wine has a lot of lemongrass on the nose. On the palate, there is more crisp lemongrass, with citrus and tropical fruit, but it also had something I wasn’t expecting. There was a lingering flavor of barely burnt caramel – a good burnt caramel. It was intriguing – different. It certainly tasted like a New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc, with the exception of that hint of toasty caramel.
The Hess website’s description didn’t mention burnt caramel, nor have I tasted that in other Sauv Blancs. It was aged in stainless steel, so where the flavor came from will remain a mystery. Flaw? Happy Accident? Intention? Who knows. At any rate, it was a great, affordable wine at just $9. And I would drink it again, not only just to discover whether the burnt caramel is a fluke.
Happy Wednesday!
Wine and History Visited 
As a SB lover I must give this one a try!
Let me know what you think?
Way to live on the edge lol. Glad it was a happy surprise. I am curious about the caramel taste if it is a one time occasion.
It did seem to be a one time thing… I finished off the bottle two days ago and today, and didn’t get the caramel taste either time. But who knows if it would be there with another newly opened bottle!