Winemaker Notes
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of grapefruit, lime zest, white flowers, white peach, lemon grass, and orange peel. On the palate are aromas of pineapple, guava, tropical fruit, Asian pear, candied lemon, and green melon. The wine has a bright acidity and wonderful texture on the mid-palate. While the core of this wine is Sauvignon Blanc, the addition of Musqué, Sémillon, and Viognier adds a lot of floral notes and viscosity to this vintage. CADE tries to capture these wonderful floral notes by fermenting each variety separately in concrete eggs, stainless steel drums, and tanks. The French oak barrels, in which 10% of the wine was aged, were very lightly toasted to preserve the delicate fruity aromas and provide a creamy texture to the mid-palate of the wine.
Blend: 84% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Sauvignon Blanc Musqué, 2% Sémillon, 2% Viognier
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very fresh and aromatic, with notes of grapefruit, passion fruit, lychees and flint. The palate is light- to medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and bright acidity, giving notes of peaches, lemon pith and kaffir limes. This sauvignon blanc is a great value, with good texture and freshness.
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Wine Spectator
Perfectly balanced on an elegant frame, with pear, lime, Meyer lemon, grilled pineapple and tangerine flavors, plus aromatic accents of lemongrass and lemon verbena, all seamless and juicy on a sleek frame. Drink now. 8,886 cases made.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.