white

LOBSTER REEF – SAUVIGNON BLANC (2019): 6.5

white

6.5

a sour sav that’s saved by its sweatiness

SHORT DESCRIPTION

  • CLEAN
  • SOUR
  • GRASSY
  • DRY
  • LIGHT
  • SWEATY BUT NOT SWEATY ENOUGH

LONG DESCRIPTION

I was really excited to see that the Bottle Shop on E Passyunk had this back in stock. I really loved the 2018 Lobster Reef… it was heavy on the weird sweaty taste I love so much about SB. I’m currently drinking it in the 90 degree sun (out on my stoop in an XL cut off and soffee shorts as south philly tradition requires) which is the most ideal situation for SB consumption but I’m finding myself a little disappointed. My taste buds might be blunted from all the straight gin and Lysol fumes I’ve been consuming over the last two months but the 2019 Lobster Reef has a sour sweet aftertaste I don’t remember from older varieties. It’s still really good. It just doesn’t have that grape jawn I love so much about SB.

At only $15 (special marked up bottle shop price… it’s like $11 online) it’s a pretty solid quarantine SB. Feel like this is definitely an SB for white wine lovers. Not my favorite anymore, though. But I can’t say I’m upset to continue my search for the weirdest, driest, sweatiest SB that Philly has to offer.

RODNEY STRONG – SAUVIGNON BLANC (2018): 9.0

white

9.0

a dry, wonderful Sauvignon Blanc

SHORT DESCRIPTION

  • DRY
  • CRISP
  • GRASSY
  • SIMPLE
  • WHERE: ACME

LONG DESCRIPTION

I don’t have too much to say about this guy. It’s probably the best wine I’ve had in quarantine so far, and also the cheapest at around $15. I’ve noticed the Acme has joined in the wine price gauging game, so you might be able to find this cheaper somewhere else (across a bridge, perhaps).

It’s a very clean wine. Very dry. I feel like it’s balancing my pH levels or something. If there are fruity notes in here I don’t know what they are. I guess grapefruit, cuz that’s what it says online. It’s simple and dry the way white wine should be IMO. This will probably be my savvy b for the summer.

WHITEHAVEN – SAUVIGNON BLANC (2019): 8.5

white

8.5

a nice, crisp SB that makes me miss being with friends at the beach ):

SHORT DESCRIPTION

  • LIGHT
  • GRAPEFRUIT
  • LIL GRASSY
  • LIL SWEATY (:
  • WHERE: ACME

LONG DESCRIPTION

The most exciting thing that’s happened to me all week was a trip to the Acme on Passyunk, which culminated in a weirdly emotional experience in the wine and beer aisle. I have lived down here for 5 years, and I remember the day that the orange liquor license sign was hung in the glass doors of the Acme. And who could forget the 6 months it took for the PLCB to relocate the bread aisle to the other end of the store and restock the shelves with a few dozen bottles of wine? The store never had a great selection under normal circumstances, so I wasn’t expecting much more than a couple shitty bottles of Moscato when I went earlier this week, but I was very happy to find the wine aisle mostly stocked with a good assortment of reds, whites, and rosés.

I figured if I’m willing to spend $20+ on shitty delivery wine, I might as well spend that amount on Acme wine, too. I picked the nicest looking bottle and stocked up on some reds before having a really nice conversation with the cashier who told me he has worked so many hours over the quarantine he’s gotten himself out of debt.

None of that has anything to do with the wine. I just want to remember all of this later.

The wine is exactly what you want out of a sauvignon blanc. The only thing missing is that I’m not drinking it on a beach, holding the cold glass to my sunburnt chest. Sauvignon blanc pairs perfectly with the sun. Also with freedom.

But you can taste the beach in it a little bit. The brine. The grapefruit? Is that beach-y? I think it is beachy. And sexy (: like sauvignon blanc (: That bitterness cuts a light creeping sourness that I do not like but cannot find after only a second, it’s gone so quickly. The aftertaste is sweat, which I love in a way that saddens me.

I think this would be so good paired with some cheeses and fruit, or as a brunch wine. It’s very easy drinking, so crisp it seems to stay cold longer than it should. If you can make the trip to an Acme with a wine aisle, I highly suggest this one.

WALNUT BLOCK – SAUVIGNON BLANC (2019): 7.0

white

7.0

a sour, sorta grassy sauvignon blanc

SHORT DESCRIPTION

  • SOUR
  • GRASSY
  • SWEATY BUT NOT SWEATY ENOUGH!!
  • WHERE: QUICKSIP

LONG DESCRIPTION

This is the first white wine I’ve had in months. The only white I drink is sauvignon blanc and sometimes – rarely, but it happens – I get an intensely visceral craving for it. There is something very sexy about sauvignon blanc; sommeliers describe it as grassy, but I swear to god it’s sweat. Or brine. Something salty. And wet. Do you see what I mean!!! hot.

This wine delivers a little bit of that weird sweaty taste, but not enough for me. It’s unfortunately overpowered by a sourness that makes drinking this a little exhausting. I like having to force myself to return a bottle of sauvignon blanc to the fridge so I don’t finish the whole thing in one sitting. This Walnut Block is almost hard to drink, it’s so sour. But then again, I don’t really like whites. Too sweet and sour. But maybe that’s what people like about them? The acid reflux?

I think maybe there are sauvignon blancs for red wine drinkers and sauvignon blancs for white wine drinkers. If you fall into the second category, I definitely suggest you order this guy.