Winemaker Notes
Pale straw-yellow with a hint of green. An intoxicating, perfumed nose of musk melon, rose petal, and pear is enhanced by a kiss of lychee. Holy cow! Medium-bodied with terrific cut and precision, flavors of pear and lime build in the long, mineral-driven finish. A unique wine that will pair wonderfully with many dishes. Enjoy from release through 2025.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another beautiful white, the 2016 Compagni Portis is based on a field blend of Gewurztraminer, Trousseau Gris, and Riesling. Lychee, tangerine, and exotic flower notes all emerge from this medium-bodied, clean, pure, polished beauty that has perfectly integrated acidity, a balanced, drinkable style, and a great finish. Pair it with a cheese course at the start of a meal.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 White Wine Compagni Portis is a 100% field blend of Gewürztraminer, Trousseau Gris, Riesling and other mixed whites. It gives up beautiful notes of lychees, rose water and fresh pears with hints of peaches, lime cordial and anise. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a lovely oiliness to the texture, bursting with exotic fruits and spices and finishing with a refreshing lift.
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.
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.