Winemaker Notes
The 2023 Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc comes from three stony-soiled sites found throughout the Valley of the Moon. The majority comes from the north-facing slopes of Uboldi Vineyard in Kenwood, with the balance from Bedrock Vineyard on the Agua Caliente bench and Judge Vineyard in Bennett Valley. 70% of the wine was barrel fermented in predominately neutral French and Austrian oak barrels (in total about 8% new oak), and 30% was fermented in tank. The resulting wine nicely combines the musqué clone-driven perfume from the tank-fermented lot with the textural richness from the barrel-fermented portion. Fittingly for the cool vintage, this is elegant, flinty and mineral with aromatics of melon, green papaya, and citrus overlaying fresh and sappy fruit and bright acid. A lovely wine that you'll all plan to drink a lot of over the coming summer months.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma Valley) is airy, gracious and nicely lifted. Pear, white flowers, mint and white pepper are nicely pushed forward in this tasty, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Vineyard sources are Uboldi, Bedrock and Judge. Aging in wood with a good bit of stainless steel keeps the flavors vibrant.
The winery’s objectives are:
To channel the fruit of ancient vines into powerful, elegant, and distinctly Californian wines.
To spread the gospel of Syrah in California by sourcing fruit from great terroirs throughout the North Coast.
To proclaim the greatness of Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon by sparing no expense on wines of uniqueness and personality.
To reclaim rose’ from the excesses of saignee and focus on precision, delicacy, aromatics, and food friendliness.
To make fascinating and quixotic white wines from unique sites and interesting varietals.
To dream big but keep production low!
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.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.