Winemaker Notes
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc offers bright aromas of tropical guava, honeydew and pear with traces of minerality. Crisp, clean textures deliver flavors of apricot, melon, grapefruit and lemon rind with trailing accents of wet slate, green apple and star fruit. Zesty acidity carries long into a brisk, mouthwatering finish.
The bright, lively character of the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc makes it an excellent food wine. Pairing suggestions include shellfish, grilled tilapia, spring and summer salads, and cilantro lime chicken tacos.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc opens in the glass with a dusty blend of spring flowers, lemon zest and sage. It's soft upon entry yet quickly builds tension as citrus-tinged orchard fruits cascade throughout. It finishes wickedly fresh with a tactile crunchiness that calls the taster back to the glass.
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Wine Enthusiast
A very pale color in the glass, this bottling hits the tropical notes on the nose, offering passionfruit and guava aromas that are cut by citrus pith touches. The palate is bright with peach and more guava flavors, as just enough tension holds it together.
We are a family-owned winery specializing in estate-grown wines from Margarita Vineyard, the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles appellation on California’s Central Coast.
Just look at a map of Paso Robles wineries and at the very southern tip you will find our Vineyard. Here, amid the rugged Santa Lucia mountain range just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the only vineyard in its vicinity, and thus the only vineyard to benefit from the extraordinary growing conditions of the area. Margarita Vineyard resides in the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, which was first planted to vines by Franciscan missionaries in 1774.
Ancient Peaks and Margarita Vineyard are owned by three longtime local winegrowing families—the Filipponis, Rossis and Wittstroms—who are actively involved in the daily operations of the vineyard and winery. Ancient Peaks wines are crafted under the guidance of Mike Sinor, a local winemaking veteran and one of the highest-rated winemakers on the Central Coast.
Ancient Peaks implements numerous sustainable viticultural practices to ensure natural quality in their wines while protecting the rich, native environment surrounding the Margarita Vineyard. Their practices have earned SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certification for Margarita Vineyard, the leading standard for viticultural sustainability.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Composed of steep mountain slopes of ancient Salinas River origins at 900 to 1,400 feet in elevation, Santa Margarita Ranch is in the southern portion of the greater Paso Robles AVA.