Many years ago, Robert Mondavi in California (USA), in the first years after the founding of the winery (1966), picked a very good harvest of Sauvignon Blanc and made the famous wine Fume Blanc which became the business card of the winery Napa Valley. He was the first in California who made wine from this variety, aged in an oak barrel, because it is believed that the Sauvignon does not like the wood.
Remember about Mondavi and his Fume Blanc made a Moldovan wine Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 from the company Fautor. Unlike the American predecessor, which is produced with a 5 percent supplement of Semillon, our Fume Blanc is from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was surprisingly successful, given the complex relationship of this grape with oak.
I consider this wine is the highest manifestation of Sauvignon, – says the general representative of the Italian company Vivai Cooprativi Rauscedo in the CIS countries, doctor of agricultural sciences Yuri Novosadjuk. – The first surprise is that this is not a typical Sauvignon. I would name him Sauvignon-Chardonnay, even Chardonnay-Sauvignon, because most of people can even make a mistake – so unique is it.
What is interesting in this wine is the minerality. Chardonnay does not have such a minerality. Tropical fruits neutralize what might seem like excessive minerality. Also here is the soft bitterness of spring herbs, which quickly disappears and leaves interesting halftones. Although I’m not a big fan of oak, but here he emphasizes the nobility of Sauvignon and give wine manhood. I would compare him to a power woman who knows her own worth (alludes to the winemaker- remark A.T.). The wine is energetic, exciting, learning”.
And here is what the recognized authority in the wine world said about him, Dr. Ion Prida:
This wine is a new look at Sauvignon Blanc. Traditionally, it is not accepted to use oak barrels in the production of wines from this variety, because winemakers have failed. And for a while they forgot about the “oak”. Consumers are accustomed to drink wine Sauvignon Blanc fresh, and technologists are not trying to make something better. Winemakers Fautor managed to successfully pick up barrels for this wine, the aroma of oak here is not heavy and spicy, as for cognacs, it does not suppress the exotic aroma of wine. This wine from Fautor is a new step to quality of Sauvignon Blanc. Every time I try this wine, I admire it more and more”.
The mystery of Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc was revealed by the production director Tatyana Kroitoru. The wine turned out so rich, because they have blended four different parties of Sauvignon. They were aged in barrels of different roasts. Only seven barrels of 225 liters were obtained.1850 bottles were bottled.
Main aromatic note of its bouquet is passion fruit. Her “flower of passion” is reflected on the original label of bottle Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc. In Chisinau restaurant Beef Meat and Wine for this wine there is an interesting gastronomic pair – a fish with passion fruit sauce (probably this is the perfect combination).
The wine entered the market in early 2017 and has already won several medals – in Moldova, Romania, Britain and Belgium. Therefore, you need to hurry, while it is still on sale (in supermarkets it costs 229 lei).
Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 for me is associated with the song “Emmanuelle” performed by Pierre Bachelet.
