If you were invited to a "serious sauvignon blanc" tasting..

I'd one up the host with a Silex (a '97 opened a couple of months ago was outstanding and remarkably fresh), or go to the more obscure side, with a Goissot Sauvignon Gris or a Clos Roche Blanche SB from Touraine.

Hi Mike, if you are the Mike Evans I think you are, it has been a looooooooong time. Welcome back!

Jenise,
I'm coming late to the party, but here'd be my short list:

NZ - Older Cloudy Bay and/or Wairau River
Austria - E&M Tement's 'Zieregg' from South Styria (their '97 remains my benchmark for the variety)
Loire valley - covered already in great detail
White Bordeaux - blends with Semillon are allowed? If so, Haut Brion or Carbonnieux
CA - Merry Edwards. I haven't tried Grey Stack, but FL Jim's praise is good enough for me.

Mark Lipton

Has anyone mentioned the Hanna SB yet? Sure should be considered in my opinion!

In response to the original question, I'd take 1995 Domaine Henry Pellé Sancerre Cuvée Eric Pellé Vendage Tardives , as (aside from a handful of Sauternes), that's the only bottle I have...

I underline Rogov's, and others', Rochioli recommendation. Just had one last night, the '06: young but drinking beautifully. (In style, it's a little like the Kim Crawford, same balance, but with a denser midpalate, a little more going on at the edges and indeed more ageworthy.) I've also liked the '05 or '06 Westerly, which had to be put down for a couple of years; in my experience, it did not drink well when young.(I was really surprised by the evolution of this wine, which sells for $20 or $25 a bottle. The Rochiloli is $30 at the winery, but tends to be marked up elsewhere.) Finally, along with the Cotat and Vatan, Reverdy Sancerre can be quite amazing, pushing the edges of what one expects in Sauvignon Blanc in respect to both steeliness, minerality, and tang (grapefruit). My problem is I do not remember precisely which Reverdy so impressed me: Hippolyte or Pascal and Nicolas. Looking over some labels on line, I think the latter, but I am not wholly sure. (Was there once a Frederic?) Anyone else familiar with extreme Sauvignon Blanc from Reverdy?

Josh