Pouilly Fumé and Sauvignon Blanc

[quijote]

Is wine labelled Pouilly Fumé (the real stuff from the Loire, of course) representative of Sauvignon Blanc? Or is it just another style of wine that uses the sauvignon blanc grape? I have a bottle and am considering tasting it against a NZ SB to pick up on similarities and differences, but I probably ought not do that if PF is not considered representative of SB. (It's a 2001 Blanchet Vieilles Vignes PF.)

[Kcwhippet]

They're the same grape and the same wine, but the "place" is totally different. They were making Sauvignon Blanc wines in Pouilly sur Loire centuries before the grape reached New Zealand. What you experience between the two is terroir or "place" - the completely unique plot of very specific dirt in a very unique microclimate.

[Bucko]

I actually prefer Sancerre over Pouilly Fumé. As KC says, terroir. Sancerre tends to be very steely, with lemon/citrus flavors whereas the NZ SBs are more of the gooseberry and tropical fruit style. I love them both.

[quijote]

Soon enough I'll get a Sancerre to compare to the Pouilly Fumé and NZ SB. I tried the PF against the NZ last night, and there really was a big difference. The PF was more subtle, more balanced, and more herbaceous in flavor. The NZ was much fruitier on the nose and on the palate. I was enchanted by both!