Mondavi 2000 Fume Blanc

[Nguigmi]

Had a bottle of this wine with my boyfriend the other night. Neither of us had had a fume blanc before, and we were a little surprised by the strong smell of cats pee. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]
To be honest it was a little offensive at first, but we drank it anyway and I have to say the wine really grew on me! Seems to me to be a more "condensed" version of a Sauvignon Blanc, where the flavours and aromas are more pronounced.

Anyway, I noticed the bottle said the wine was unfiltered. Could someone explain to me what the benefit is of unfiltered wine? Is that partially responsible for the "cats pee" smell?

Nguigmi

[Thomas]

The smell of any wine might be affected by filtration, or lack thereof, but it should not be to such a degree that varietal character gets wiped out. Sauvignon Blanc often smells like cat pee (I find it closer to the smell of used cat litter) whether or not it is filtered.

As for any benefit to not filtering wine: as I allude to above, filtering can reduce some of a wines aroma and body, but usually not to a great degree. The real benefit of not filtering is to keep the wine in as natural a state as possible.

[joeyz6]

Hi Ngui. I'm not quite sure if your post is commenting on this or asking whether this true, but as far as I know, Fumé Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are the same thing. I think the Fumé name is some kind of homage to the Pouilly-Fumé appelation here in the Loire Valley, where Sauvignon Blanc grapes are used in the white wines.

[Nguigmi]

Thanks for your responses.

I'll have to try a Pouilly-Fume. Is there a reason they call them Pouilly-Fume and not Pouilly-Sauvignon Blanc? Or just another idiosyncracy in wine labeling to confuse the non experts! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

Nguigmi

[Kcwhippet]

Found this - it may help some to explain.
"Robert Mondavi coined the name Fumé Blanc during the late 1960's in order to change the perception of this variety, which was thought of as semisweet and without much freshness and complexity. This name was derived from Blanc Fumé, the name used for Sauvignon Blanc in the village of Pouilly-sur-Loire in the Sancerre region, whose wines are marketed as Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre. This "White Smoke" describes the smoky style that is a result of French oak/barrel aging."

[joeyz6]

Actually, there are a LOT of grape varieties that have local names. The varietal that is called Malbec in most of the world is called Cot around these parts, just for example. Different names develop in different cities and regions.