Winemaker Notes
In 2018, we aged the wine for 15 months on its lees in French oak of various shapes and sizes (18% new). The resulting wine is tremendous; taut as a gymnast and loaded with rock solid fruit and minerals, with a scintillating spine of round, pleasing acidity that holds the wine aloft on the palate for minutes. We think this wine will age extremely well, 10 to 15 years at a minimum. This wine is extremely limited, only 150 cases were produced.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted out of barrel, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Grimm's Bluff showed beautifully, with a rounded, sexy, concentrated style as well as notes of lemon butter, tangerine, mint, and white flowers. It offers bright acidity, a layered, supple texture, and a great finish. It’s up with the finest Sauvignon Blancs coming out of California today.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Wine Enthusiast
This bottling is extremely aromatic on the nose, with aromas of passion fruit, guava peel, lemon curd and a unique lanolin element. The wine is racy on the palate and yet with a viscous density as well, delivering flavors of ripe cherimoya and light guava jelly, proving both fresh and meaty.
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.