Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
More gooseberry, sappy green herbs, and vibrant mineral notes emerge from the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Grassini Family Vineyard, another vibrant, medium-bodied, nicely concentrated expression of the variety. It has a more herbal, grassy style yet also brings terrific concentration and depth. It will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for at least a decade. As with the other Sauvignon Blanc releases here, it’s 100% varietal.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Grassini Family Vineyard was barrel fermented and matured for 17 months in 20% new French oak. Recently bottled under Diam 30 corks, it shows lots of power and concentration but is youthfully coiled. It has aromas of apricot, dried herbs and hay, beeswax and matchstick, taking plenty of time in the glass to unwind. The light-bodied palate is electric, with crackling acidity balanced by textural breadth, though its fruit is still flinty and tightly coiled.
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.
On the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley, the rolling hills of the tiny Happy Canyon AVA produce top quality reds from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and whites from Sauvignon blanc. The region’s low-nutrient soil grows smaller vines and in turn, higher quality wine grapes.