WINE BUSINESS MONTHLY June 2009 winemaking

Product Review: Yeast for Sauvignon Blanc Selecting the yeast that best suits your style

Curtis Phillips Curtis Phillips, an editor for Wine Business Monthly since 2000, is a graduate of UC Davis, and has been a winemaker since 1984 and an agricultural consultant since 1979.

THE HISTORY OF Sauvignon Blanc in as “cat pee” or “tom cat,” what they are has begun to look at the role of several the U.S. has been a fairly interesting really saying is,“I don’t like Sauvignon volatile thiols in the characteristic one. According to received wisdom, the Blancs that smell like Sauvignon Blanc.” aromas of Sauvignon Blanc. Thiols, by varietal was introduced into California This is a perfectly valid viewpoint, but the way, are the sulfur analogs of alco- Tin the 1880s by the Cresta Blanca it doesn’t really help us define any wine hols. In the specific case of Sauvignon Winery in the Livermore Valley. Since styles until these terms are related to Blanc, it has been shown that the the vineyard was planted from cuttings the conditions under which the grapes characteristic “box-tree,” “grapefruit” from Château d’Yquem, Sauvignon were grown and the wine was made. and “passionfruit” aromas are mainly Blanc appears to have formed the basis We’ve known for some time that caused by three volatile thiols: 4-mer- of the wine with which Cresta Blanca methoxypyrazines, mainly 2-methoxy- capto-4-methylpentan-2-one (4MMP), won the Grand Prix at the 1889 Paris 3-(2-methylpropyl) pyrazine and near 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and Exposition. It is fair to say that, 90 years analogs, contribute to the “vegetal” 4-mercapto-4-metylpentan-2-ol before Steven Spurrier’s now famous aroma of Sauvignon Blanc (Allen, et al. (4MMPOH). Interestingly, these thiols Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, Sauvignon “Contribution of Methoxypyrazines to are all formed from non-volatile cys- Blanc was the varietal that first demon- Sauvignon Blanc Wine Aroma,” AJEV teinylated precursors during fermenta- strated that Californian wines can be 42:2, p. 109-112). If described with tion. the best in the world. more specific adjectives than “vegetal,” As a result, I’ve tried to approach the these aromas are described as bell problem of making Sauvignon Blanc SAUVIGNON BLANC STYLES pepper or green pepper. from a fresh viewpoint by asking: What Sauvignon Blanc is often described Sauvignon Blanc grown under cool are we trying to accomplish? Are we using terms like “grassy, cat pee, goose- conditions tends to have higher levels trying to accentuate the character of berry, tropical,” etc. These terms may be of methoxypyrazines in their grapes the grapes, transforming it, suppressing descriptive, but I have been unsatisfied than Sauvignon Blanc grown under hot it? In this context, I think Sauvignon with their application to actual styles of conditions. The level of methoxy - Blancs tend to fall into a small number making Sauvignon Blanc. It seems to pyrazines in the grapes is relatively high of wine-styles: Varietal, Anti-Varietal, me that the terminology, while prop- at veraison and decreases as the grapes Oak-Influence and Botrytized. erly defined in a formal sensory analyt- ripen (Lacey, et al. “Methoxypyrazines I have one caveat I’d like to stress ical sense, tends to be misused to the in Sauvignon Blanc Grapes and Wines,” before proceeding. Although I’ll be dis- point of being pejorative. One taster’s AJEV 42:2, p.103-108, 1991). cussing individual wine styles and yeast “cat pee” is another’s “gooseberry.” Of course, methoxypyrazines aren’t characteristics, it is important to realize When someone describes a Sauvignon the whole story when it comes to that there is not a one-to-one relation Blanc as an inherently derogatory term Sauvignon Blanc. More recent research between Sauvignon Blanc wine styles

18 Wine Business Monthly Product Review: Yeast for Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc Yeast Manufacturers

Strains Recommended Yeast Manufacturers Location* Telephone Web Brand(s) Vendor(s) for SB by manufacturer AB Mauri San Francisco, CA 415-477-2800 www.maurivin.com Maurivin GW Kent, AWRI 796, AWRI R2, Pacific Coast Chemicals Elegance, PDM, Sauvignon L3 AEB Group San Francisco, CA 415-824-1525 www.aeb-group.com Fermol, Zymasil American Tartaric Products Fermol Sauvignon Begerow Reston, VA 703-673-1160 www.begerow.com SIHA AO Wilson, SIHA Active Yeast 7 (Riesling Yeast) Vintners Supply Company Chr. Hansen Fresno, CA 559-485-2692 www.chr-hansen.com Chr. Hansen Gusmer Wine Lab SYMPHONY.nsac DSM Parsippany, NJ 800-662-4478 www.dsm.com Collection Cépage, Fermicru, Fermivin KLR Machines, Gusmer Wine Lab Collection Cepage Sauvignon Erbslöh Geisenheim AG Geisenheim, Germany +49 (6722) 7080 www.erbsloeh.com Oenoferm, Hefix, IDL Consulting Oenoferm Riesling Esseco Santa Rosa, CA 707-542-2719 www.enartis.com, Enartis Esseco USA Challenge Aromawhite www.essecousa.com Laffort Napa, CA 707-815-0225 www.laffort.com Actiflore, Zymaflore Scott Labs X5 Lallemand Petaluma, CA 707-526-9809 www.lallemandwine.com Anchor, Enoferm, Lallemand, Scott Labs, Vinquiry; Enoferm QA23 Lavin, Uvaferm, Vitilevure Lavin brand widely available. Lesaffre France 707-838-6840 www.fermentis.com Bio-Springer, Red Star American Tartaric Products CK S102 MiTech ** San Francisco, CA 415-474-1588 www.winerystuff.com MiTech Pickering Winery Supply MI-24 Oenofrance Santa Rosa, CA 707-484-4378 www.oenofrance.com Ceres, Levuline Scott Labs Levuline ALS Phyterra Napa 707-258-8333 www.phyterra.com Phyterra Phyterra Phy-02 White Labs San Diego 858-693-3441 www.whitelabs.com White Labs White Labs WPL730 (Chardonnay) Wyeast Laboratories Odell, OR 888-WYEAST-1 www.wyeastlab.com Vintner’s Choice Napa Fermentation Supply 4028 - Chateau Red, 4267 - Bordeaux

* Location of US subsidiary, if any; otherwise, location listed is main corporate location. ** Contact info for MiTech is Pickering Winery Supply. and yeast strain selection. There is no is superlative. Since I just don’t have boxwood characters, aren’t produced fruit I’ve been able to work with, the such thing as the perfect combination. room to discuss vineyard practices in until fermentation. practice doesn’t really accomplish what Even the styles I note should not be detail here, I am assuming that all the some of its advocates say it should. My considered immiscible groups. Rather, appropriate viticultural decisions have Important Yeast Attributes for experience is that any increase in tex- they should be considered as nothing been made. More importantly, I have to Varietal Sauvignon Blanc ture and aromatics is outweighed by an more than convenient markers along a assume that the winemaker is The key attribute for yeast used in this overall increase in bitterness in mid- continuous spectrum of winemaking attempting to make the Sauvignon style of SB is to have the ability to con- and back-palate. Likewise, I have not styles. My intent is to provide wine- Blanc in a wine style that is appropriate vert thiol-precursors to volatile thiols. experienced an increase in the terpene- makers with nothing more than an out- for the fruit she’s receiving. This attribute is labeled “Release driven tropical aromas in Sauvignon line or starting point from which they Thiols” on the accompanying chart, but Blanc wines that are left on their skins. can conduct their own experiments. VARIETAL SAUVIGNON BLANC goes by various other terms like ß-lyase In addition, I would like to note that, Defining the Style or ß-glycosidase activity depending on ANTI-VARIETAL SAUVIGNON BLANC to my thinking, wines are very much The style I’m labeling as “Varietal the specific yeast manufacturer. These If the goal of the previous style was to determined by the vineyard. The vine- Sauvignon Blanc” could have been strains are usually prominently labeled maximize the expression of SB’s vari- yard climate, geology and cultural prac- called “Maximum Sauvignon Blanc.” as being for Sauvignon Blanc. Examples etal aromas, especially the volatile tices really determine most of the final The goal of this style is to try to maxi- include AEB Fermol Sauvignon, DSM thiols and methoxypyrazines, this style wine’s character. A cooler site and trellis mize the potential SB-ish-ness, to coin Collection Cépage Sauvignon and is all about minimizing these aromas. that shades the fruit will maximize the an ugly term, and get it into the bottle. Enartis Challenge Aromawhite. This is probably the most common SB potential for retaining the methoxy - The stereotypical SBs in this style are Flora Springs winemaker Paul style in California although the oak- pyrazines through to harvest. A trellis those from the Marlborough Valley on Steinauer doesn’t rely upon ß-glycosi- influenced style described below runs a that exposes the fruit to more sunlight the South Island of New Zealand, dase yeast strains to produce a close second. on the same site is likely to produce which are noted for their grassy and/or “Varietal” Sauvignon Blanc, however. The classic exemplar for an “anti- fruit with lower levels of methoxy- gooseberry flavors. However, I believe He noted that, “[The] characteristics varietal” Sauvignon Blanc would be pyrazines while retaining the volatile this stereotype focuses on a single cli- I’m looking for [are] a yeast strain that those from the Loire Valley in France. thiol precursors that lead to more trop- mate a bit too much. The spectrum is very strong in low fermentation tem- These wines are often noted as having a ical fruit aromas. On a warm site, a characteristic varietal flavors of peratures for one, also something that mineral character and are frequently trellis that shades the fruit may be Sauvignon Blanc can range from grassy has high esters with fruit forward char- described in terms of texture rather needed in order to prevent sunburning and gooseberry to more tropical fruit acteristics. Historically we have been than aroma and bouquet. The New the grapes. flavors like passion fruit and grapefruit using two Lallemand products: EC- World version of this style tends to be Once the grapes get to the crush pad, as we move from a cool vineyard to a 1118 and ICV-K1.” much more focused on fruity ester heavy, manipulative winemaking tends warmer one. aromas rather than the terroir-driven toward mediocrity. As more “acts of The vineyard site and practices pretty A note about skin contact mineral characters found in the Loire winemaking” are inflicted on a must, much determine the levels of I’m seeing a fair number of SB wines SBs. The main difference between typ- the more likely the final wine will be in methoxypyrazines, so yeast selection that are spending anywhere from an ical Loire and U.S. winemaking is that the middle of the quality bell-curve. and fermentation practices don’t go hour to a day on their skins before the fermentation temperatures tend to This may be a good thing if the fruit very far in changing the “grassiness” of pressing. Having experimented with be cooler in the U.S. This maximizes isn’t very good, which is why those of SB. According to some fairly recent this practice myself off and on for the the amount of the volatile fruity fer- us that have made wine on a very large research, the volatile thiols, which are past (almost) 30 years, I’ve come to the mentation esters that are kept in the scale do it—but it’s a tragedy if the fruit responsible for the tropical fruit and conclusion that, when it comes to the final wine. Both versions of this style

20 Wine Business Monthly Product Review: Yeast for Sauvignon Blanc

may be aged sûr lie (on the lees) for Mondavi Winery marketing literature white wines like 71B and RC212. That Important Yeast Attributes for some time after primary fermentation. to this day. said, Red Star Côte de Blancs is my go- Botrytized Sauvignon Blanc Malolactic fermentation tends not to be In any event, “Fume Blanc” proved to to yeast for this style because the results Because one is intending to make a wine the rule. be excellent marketing. The term Fume tend to be more consistent when used with a fair amount of residual sugar, it’s Blanc proved popular enough that it is with Californian SB. usually a good idea to select a strain that Important Yeast Attributes for now legally recognized as a synonym Robert Mondavi Winery winemaker is fairly easy to stop. This means that Anti-Varietal Sauvignon Blanc for SB as a varietal term. Now there are Richard Arnold noted that, “We select you generally want a strain that is not If one is trying to minimize the SB barrel-fermented SBs and steely un- our yeast for Fume Blanc based prima- ethanol-tolerant beyond 15 percent, not aromas, then one wants to avoid the oaked Fume Blancs to the point that rily on the sensory characteristics of the cold-tolerant below 10°C and not SO2- thiol-producing strains described any differentiation between the two is resulting wine (i.e., strong citrus and tolerant above 50mg/l fSO2. above. Similarly one would also want to really pointless. floral aromatic components with good avoid strains that release terpenes, that None of this addresses the use of oak vibrancy and zestiness in the finish). A THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT is, strains selected for Riesling and in or with SB. I find that the use of oak few lots are challenges for VL3 and SVG SAUVIGNON BLANC Muscat. The best choices tend to be tends to mask or overpower the best of to complete fermentation and I gener- Proper yeast nutrition is critical for those yeast described as neutral and the fruity notes in SB. If it weren’t for ally use QA23 with those lots.” making Sauvignon Blanc. Using copper vigorous, like PDM or EC-1118, or the obvious oak aromas, wines in this sulfate to remove any H2S is never those strains most often associated with style would be indistinguishable from BOTRYTIZED desirable, but in the case of Sauvignon barrel-fermented sûr lie Chardonnay the “Anti-Varietal” SBs described above. SAUVIGNON BLANC Blanc, copper binds with, and thus like the ubiquitous CY3079. Wineries In my opinion, the best exemplars of Truly botrytized SB is really a specialty removes, the thiol and thiol precursors trying to maximize the esters may end this style have a bouquet that is remi- niche wine in the U.S. since the sales of that give SB its unique aromas. Always up using cold-tolerant yeast strains like niscent of a passionfruit crème-brûlée. all premium dessert wines are only a measure free amino nitrogen (FAN) ICV-K1 or BA-11. The tricky part is to balance the trop- small part of the overall market. and supplement accordingly. When asked about his preferred yeast ical aromas of the SB with the vanilla However, the arguably most famous SB, All wine, in particular all white wine, selections for Sauvignon Blanc, and caramel of the oak. Château Yquem, defines the botrytized should be filtered unless it is absolutely Sonoma Wine Company winemaker style. Following this example, a large dry and has fully completed malo-lactic David Elliot stated, “I like Lalvin BA11 Important Yeast Attributes for Oak- number of SB producers make small fermentation. for SB, I get a good clean fermentation Influenced Sauvignon Blanc amounts of SB dessert wine on a reg- It’s easy to make good wine from at low temperatures.” Ideally for a barrel-fermented white, ular basis. great fruit if you just don’t mess with it one wants a low foaming, moderate to too much. Unfortunately, it’s also easy OAK-INFLUENCED slow fermenter with low nutritional to make bad wine from good fruit: just SAUVIGNON BLANC requirements. Cold tolerance is also a mess with it too much. wbm The oak-influenced SB style is often plus. called the Fume Blanc style. The term In the U.S. at least, oak-influenced was coined by the Robert Mondavi Sauvignon Blancs tend to be made with • “Sauvignon Blanc: Mysteries of the For more on Sauvignon Blanc from Winery, ostensibly in an effort to differ- the same strains as are used with barrel- Soil” by Bibiana Guerra in the May Wine Business Monthly, see: entiate their dry SB, which they mod- fermented Chardonnay. The CY3079 is 2008 issue; • “Industry Roundtable: Sauvignon eled on the barrel-fermented SB wines probably the most popular of the non- • “Sauvignon Blanc Earns a Solid Blanc” by Lance Cutler in the May from Pouilly-Fume, from the sweet SBs, PDM strains with some isolates like Reputation” by Christopher Sawyer 2009 issue; which in turn were supposedly pat- M05 rounding out the mix. I’m not a in the April 2005 issue. terned after Sauternes that were fan of oaky wines in general and oaky • “World Sauvignon Blanc Congress To find these articles, visit Wine common in California at the time. It Sauvignon Blanc in particular, but my Takes a Technical Look at Sauvignon Business Monthly online at Blanc” by Lisa Shara Hall in the makes a good story, a good enough best successes making oak-influenced www.winebusiness.com/wbm and November 2008 issue; story that is retold as the official origin SBs have been when I used yeast strains search keyword “Sauvignon Blanc.” story of Fume Blanc in Robert that are not usually recommended for

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