Sauvignon Blanc is an indigenous grape variety to the Loire Valley of France. Vineyards were planted with Sauvignon Blanc at the end of the 19th century, after an infection of phylloxera, an insect infestation of the vine, destroyed virtually all the vineyards in Europe.

Sauvignon Blanc is described as a vigorous vine with upright growth. It is known for its nature to bud early, which means it often needs protection from frost, and will ripen relatively quickly. It is also a vine that is quite productive, putting out roughly ten to fifteen tons per hectare. This, however, usually results in lower quality grapes which is why LEVIN aspires for 7-8 tons per hectare (45-55 hl) to ensure only the best grapes are harvested. In France, an estimated 12,000 hectares are devoted to Sauvignon Blanc, with the majority of fields being located in Bordeaux. Although, the Loire Valley has less total hectares than Bordeaux, it is where Sauvignon Blanc reached its zenith. Unlike Bordeaux's technique of blending the wine with Semillon, to broaden the palate, wine makers of the Loire generally prefer to allow the grapes to fully mature by themselves and avoid using malolactic fermentation (natural process of changing the malic acid into lactic acid softening overall acidity). They also prefer to age the wine in stainless steel tanks or glass-lined vats to retain its vibrancy.

The popularity of this method, and with the grape in general, can be seen with its success in New World countries, most notably New Zealand, Australia, Chile and South Africa. Using state-of-the-art techniques, New Zealand has produced intense wines that are recognized worldwide, despite only having 2000 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc vineyards.

Despite its popularity, it is widely in short supply in comparison to varietals such as Merlot and Chardonnay. This lends the grape to be in a good balance in relation to supply and demand. The distinctive nature of the grape, also allows it to enjoy a separate market from Chardonnay. This is comforting to many producers who believe the market will experience modest growth with continued demand, resulting with a high level supply of fruit quality.