The Messenger Number One White Blend Lot 314
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Blend; 69% Sauvignon Blanc, 18% Muscat Camelii, 13% Riesling
Matt Stone's family founded Napa valley icon, Sterling Vineyards in 1964. As a young man, Matt earned his first paycheck from the winery and helped his father with many aspects of vineyard and winery life. Keeping his nose close to the wine industry, Matt moved to France and took up residency with the Edmund Rothschild family (Lafite side) where he was actually present for the inaugural harvest of their Chateau Clarke in Medoc. After his stint with the Rothschild's, he honed his sales skills as a sugar trader in Paris and New York. In 2000 he returned to Napa Valley with his wife and 3 children, a move that virtually ensured his re-entry into the wine business.
Kat, Rob and Matt, met at the school their children attended in Napa and a business partnership was formed in 2005.
The Messenger Wines are an exploration of flavor born of creativity and innovation. As such, they are multi-vintage, multi-varietal and multi-vineyard. In the same way a message is crafted from a thousand stories, we craft wine from a thousand possible blends. The Messenger encourages you to enjoy a wine for what it is, rather than what you think it should be.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Responsible for the vast majority of American wine production, if California were a country, it would be the world’s fourth largest wine-producing nation. The state’s diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of red wine styles, and unlike tradition-bound Europe, experimentation is more than welcome here. California wineries range from tiny, family-owned boutiques to massive corporations, and price and production are equally varied. Plenty of inexpensive bulk wine is made in the Central Valley area, while Napa Valley is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious and expensive “cult” wines.
Each American Viticultural Area (AVA) and sub-AVA of has its own distinct personality, allowing California to produce red wine of every fashion: from bone dry to unctuously sweet, still to sparkling, light and fresh to rich and full-bodied. In the Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate vineyard acreage. Sonoma County is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé and Zinfandel. The Central Coast has carved out a niche with Rhône Blends based on Grenache and Syrah, while Mendocino has found success with cool climate varieties such as Pinot noir, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. With all the diversity that California wine has to offer, any wine lover will find something to get excited about here.