Each Explore 4 case tackles a new theme: This one is a selection of Sauvignon Blanc that won’t break the bank.

Sauvignon is the most popular white wine in the UK and for good reason, it’s easy to drink and you know what you are getting.

But there is another more adventurous side to Sauvignon Blanc, the one where winemakers push the envelope in terms of vineyard locations, the use of oak and wild yeasts. These are the ones we focus on with this selection.

Here’s what’s in the case:

2021 Outer Limits Sauvignon Blanc, Montes, Aconcagua Valley, Chile

The Outer Limits wines were born out of Aurelio Montes’ desire to push Chilean viticulture in a new direction. The 45 hectare Zapallar Vineyard in the Aconcagua Valley was Montes’ first venture into the ‘outer limits’. Due to the balance and concentration in the Outer Limits wines, they can be enjoyed now or allowed to age for a few years, rewarding with a wonderfully complex bouquet.

2020 ‘Summer’ Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, Harry Hartman, Western Cape, South Africa

his knockout wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc from Harry Hartman Wines is made from fruit picked in the premium regions of Elgin and Bot River. Elgin fruit has a higher level of acidity adding to the more citrus notes and making the wine more linear. Botrivier fruit is more rounded, with bigger tropical notes.

2019 Taihoa Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Astrolabe, Marlborough, New Zealand

This is a unique New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the fruit for this wine is grown by Paddy and Anna Trolove at Taihoa Vineyard on Marlborough’s southern Kēkerengū coast. It is an outlier, both geographically and in a winemaking sense, to the typical sauvignon blanc wines of Marlborough; it is all about complexity, texture and age-worthiness.

2019 Sancerre Cuvee Silex, Domaine Serge Laloue, Loire, France

Serge Laloue has always been one of our favourite winemakers in the Loire, making incredible Sancerre. This we think is their finest Cuvee, crafted by Franck Laloue the Sancerre Silex has intense aromas of smoky graphite with mineral notes of oyster shell that are complemented by zesty orange peel and Mirabelle plum. This fresh, supple cuvée delivers concentrated citrus flavours through to a bright and uplifting mineral finish.