For fans of sauvignon blanc, the good news is that there are more domestic brands on the market than ever before. The bad news is, there are also many different styles of this popular summer wine, which can make create confusion for the consumer.

In New Zealand, which produces a good amount of sauvignon blanc, the style is known for being very forward and distinctive, with the concentration on letting the volatile aromatic varietal character show through. New Zealand producers have been doing a good job of highlighting that character as the primary features of their wines.

For a long time now, California winemakers had been moving away from the herbal side of sauvignon blanc, which is its essence. Now, thanks to this bold, "in-your-face" style from New Zealand, people have begun to appreciate the herbaceous quality of sauvignon blanc once again.

According to a recent article in the Quarterly Review of Wines, it seems that the emergence of this New Zealand style has inspired California winemakers to rethink sauvignon blanc characteristics and even accentuate its herbal, grassy nature. Combined with an increased interest in the wine, especially from restaurateurs and consumers interested in pairing wines with modern food styles, it’s a hot season for sauvignon blanc.

Because there are many sides to sauvignon blanc, California winemakers have been taking different approaches to create their own signature bottles. For example, at Quivera Vineyards, winemaker Grady Wann tells QRW that the combination if varietal planting and soil gives Quivira a citrusy sauvignon blanc. To make it more complete, he barrel-ferments it, to lend more texture, and then blends it with 15 percent semillon, which adds a base note of fuller, rounder and softer mouthfeel.

Wann says he is not interested in making a chardonnay clone, he’d rather create a wine that has enough interest to bring a person back for a second glass with dinner, but which has enough going on so that it can stand up to food. The 2003 Quivira Vineyards Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is such a wine, where a pleasant mélange of lemongrass, lime, citrus and melon aromas mingle with delicate herbal and mineral notes.

At the Napa Wine Company, home to Mason Cellars, winemaker Randy Mason told QRW that he concentrates on texture more so than flavor. He said if he can get the right mouthfeel, everything else will follow.

Seeking enhanced texture and roundness; Mason has experimented with barrel fermentation and aging techniques. He said he works thinks the challenge is to preserve the entire flavor the grape will give, and never adds semillon to the blend.

The result is a wine such as the 2003 Mason Sauvignon Blanc, which features bright grapefruit and lime aromas that seem to jump from the glass and satisfy the palate with bright, citrus notes and a luxurious mouth feel.

At Frog’s Leap Winery, winemaker John Williams comments that the Rutherford area of the Napa Valley has more to do with the soil and growing conditions than it does with him. He said he believes in farming to connect grapes to the place where they grow.

In his production of sauvignon blanc, there is no malolactic process, no semillon and no oak, and the fermentation is done in stainless steel vats.

To preserve the varietal fruit and achieve moderate alcohol, grapes are picked at fairly low sugar, and Williams welcomes the minerality and earthiness that comes from the soil.

The resulting 2003 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc is a pleasurable wine, notable for its grapefruit, lemon-lime, lemongrass and mineral components. It is elegantly balanced, with bright acidity and moderate alcohol (12.8 percent).