Sauvignon Blanc

The wine

Acidity gives Butter Zero Sauvignon Blanc its definition. There is ripe fruit here, but the citrus lift keeps it from becoming a sweet, juice-like white. Grapefruit and passion fruit are recognizable Sauvignon Blanc signals, and the light tropical-fruit sweetness supports them rather than taking over. Freshness matters more than complexity in this glass.

The crisp palate carries that balance between ripe fruit and lively citrus acidity into a clean, zesty grapefruit finish. It is an uncomplicated wine, but uncomplicated does not mean anonymous: the fruit has a varietal identity and the acidity gives it shape. The grapefruit finish is especially useful to the overall impression, keeping the tropical sweetness from being the last thing you notice.

Its limitation is the straightforward flavor range. There is no need to dress that up as complexity, or to mistake a recognizable style for an especially layered one. At 82 points, this is a clearly good dealcoholized Sauvignon Blanc with an easy-to-understand appeal: grapefruit, passion fruit and enough acidity to hold the ripe fruit in balance. It finishes cleaner than many whites in this category. For a bottle whose strengths are brightness and varietal character, that is a worthwhile result.