Winemakers who create the world's fine sauvignon blancs probably never will agree on how it should be done. This is a good thing in that it guarantees a wonderful variety of styles, and a bit of a drawback in that, as Forrest Gump would say, you never know what you're going to get.
Unless, of course, you have wine writers to taste them and tip you off. I saw a wine blog the other day with a wonderful motto: ''We spit so you can swallow.'' In that spirit, here's a look at three approaches to sauvignon blanc:
• The rich way: Duckhorn Vineyards, in relatively warm Napa Valley, ferments 30 percent of its sauvignon blanc grapes in oak barrels for mellow richness, and adds even more richness with a small proportion of unctuous Sémillon grapes.
In Santa Ynez Valley, near Santa Barbara, Gainey Vineyard's 2006 sauvignon blanc grapes come from the relatively warm Home Ranch Vineyard, resulting in wines with hints of sweet pineapple flavors as well and the cooler, greener flavors of grapefruit.
• The lean way: New Zealand winemakers go to great lengths to maintain their country's reputation for making sauvignon blancs with saliva-inducing crispness, full body and what is described as gooseberry flavors. The 2007 vintage is from a particularly cool season in Marlborough, its best sauvignon blanc area, on the ocean-cooled northeastern tip of New Zealand's cool South Island.
The pickers at Kim Crawford winery harvest the grapes at night to preserve the acids, resulting in puckery flavors that go particularly well with food. For the same reason, Matua Valley, also in Marlborough, ferments its grapes at lower-than-usual temperatures.
• The ecological way: New releases from Benziger Family Winery in California's Sonoma Valley underscore its commitment to making ''green'' wines. The 2006 North Coast sauvignon blanc is from grapes on their way to ''certified sustainable agriculture'' status; the 2006 Shone Farm sauvignon blanc's grapes are on their way to official ''organic'' status and the 2006 Casey's Block is a full-fledged ''biodynamic'' wine -- sustainable, organic and all-around earth-friendly.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
• 2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand: crisp and puckery, with intense gooseberry and kiwi flavors and a long finish; $17.
• 2006 Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley: lush and rich, with aromas and flavors of pink grapefruit and ripe apples; $25.
RECOMMENDED
• 2006 Dancing Bull California Sauvignon Blanc: Almost a New Zealand-style sauvignon blanc, with crisp acids that make the mouth water and flavors of gooseberries, lime, grapefruit and fresh-cut grass; $12.
• 2006 Benziger Family Winery Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast: light, bright and crisp, with intense lemon-lime flavors; $13.
• 2006 Benziger Family Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Shone Farm, Russian River Valley: lean and crisp, with intense white grapefruit flavors and white-flower aromas; $29.
• 2006 Benziger Family Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Casey's Block, Mendocino County: full-bodied and powerful, with puckery crispness and intense green-melon flavors; $29.
• 2007 Kumeu River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand: rich, crisp kiwi and green melon flavors; a hint of minerals; $19.
• 2007 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand: crisp and rich, with flavors of grass and minerals and hints of tropical fruit; $12.
