Can Master Sommelier Carlos Santos identify an Australian Sauvignon Blanc completely blind?
In this episode of the Got Somme Blind Wine Tasting Series, Angus O’Loughlin pours Carlos a youthful and aromatic white wine filled with classic Sauvignon Blanc characteristics.
Carlos immediately discovers a pale straw colour, slight spritz and a pungent nose packed with asparagus, gooseberry, green apple, lemon and passionfruit. On the palate, he finds high acidity, warm alcohol, savoury notes and no obvious oak influence.
He correctly identifies the grape variety, vintage and almost the exact alcohol percentage, but can he identify where in Australia it was produced?
The wine is revealed as the 2025 Bunderra Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Blackwood Valley, Western Australia.
Angus and Carlos compare the wine with the more intensely aromatic Sauvignon Blanc styles of Marlborough, the mineral and restrained wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, and the Bordeaux-inspired Sauvignon Blanc blends commonly produced in Margaret River.
They also explore whether Australian Sauvignon Blanc is entering a new era, moving beyond the aggressively herbaceous styles that dominated the category during the 2000s and finding a more balanced Australian identity.
Is Blackwood Valley one of Australia’s most underrated Sauvignon Blanc regions?
In This Episode
Watch the full blind tasting to see how close Carlos gets.
- How to identify Sauvignon Blanc in a blind wine tasting
- Classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas and flavours
- Australian versus New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
- Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc compared with Sancerre
- Sauvignon Blanc from Blackwood Valley, Western Australia
- Why slight bubbles can indicate a youthful white wine
- Identifying oak, acidity and alcohol during a blind tasting
- Margaret River’s connection to Bordeaux-style wines
- Whether Sauvignon Blanc is making a comeback in Australia
- Developing a uniquely Australian Sauvignon Blanc style
Episode Chapters
00:00 A seriously pungent wine
00:18 Analysing the colour, bubbles and appearance
00:37 Asparagus, gooseberry and passionfruit aromas
01:04 Tasting the acidity, alcohol and texture
01:20 Carlos makes his grape variety call
01:53 Guessing the vintage
02:02 The wine is revealed
02:23 Discovering Blackwood Valley
03:06 Marlborough versus Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc
04:04 Bunderra Estate Sauvignon Blanc
04:14 Finding the middle ground between France and New Zealand
04:53 Margaret River and Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc
05:29 Is Sauvignon Blanc returning to favour?
06:28 What should Australian Sauvignon Blanc taste like?
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