Clayhouse Sauvignon Blanc 2012
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Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
There's an adobe home among the vines at Red Cedar Vineyard. It's no longer habitable, but the Clayhouse owners maintain it... and it's holding up pretty well after more than 150 years.
Adobe is sun-dried bricks, with the bricks formed from a particular local clay, combined with straw and water. These bricks were a primary building material in California from the Spanish mission period until the Gold Rush.There are other adobe buildings in the area, but this one, at Red Cedar Vineyard, was inspiring in important ways: It's a home, built brick by brick from elements of this place... earth, water, sun. So, that's the inspiration for the winery and wine names: Clayhouse and Adobe as depicted on the wine labels.
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.