Great value Loire Sauvignon Blanc

Aromatic and zesty, the Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire Valley have set a high benchmark. The main appellations, listed below, are some of the most famous Sauvignon growing areas in the world.

Key Loire Sauvignon Blanc Appellations:

Touraine
Sancerre
Pouilly-Fumé
Menetou-Salon

What does Loire Sauvignon Blanc taste like?

Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire tends to have a different flavour and aroma profile to its cousin in Marlborough, New Zealand, another well-recognised Sauvignon Blanc producing region.

The Loire produces Sauvignon that is zesty and zingy, often showing steely, flinty characters. It leans towards green apple, gooseberry and grapefruit flavours. Whereas Marlborough Sauvignon is more intensely aromatic and pungent, with ripe tropical fruit flavours and herbaceous characters.

Below are some excellent examples for drinking now, tasted by Decanter contributors and members of Decanter’s editorial team, all retailing in the UK for under £25.

Some examples come from Jim Budd’s recent report on new-release Loire white wines, where he has picked the best wines from the 2019 and 2020 vintages.

‘These are happy days in the Loire. 2020 is the seventh successive good to very good vintage in the region’, said Jim Budd, DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire.

The options below are some value Loire Sauvignon Blanc examples, coming from Touraine, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Menetou-Salon.