Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Possibly my favorite of the Sauvignon Blanc releases, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard has a more powerful, broad, concentrated style to go with lots of stone fruits, brioche, honeyed minerality, and sappy herbs. It's possibly less complex than the Grimm's Bluff release, but it’s simply beautifully balanced, layered, and textured on the palate.
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Decanter
Dill, slate, chalk dust and grated ginger on the nose. The palate balances weight and levity, with a purity and richness common to this section of Santa Barbara County. Finishes on a juicy, quenching, focused note of spearmint and lime zest. A blend of the classic California Sauvignon Blanc variants Clone 1 and Musqué, aged 18 months in mainly French oak and using an array of barrels, including 276-litre cigars.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Intriguing aromas of guava peel and mango meet with an underlying hint of wet stone on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. There's a compelling viscosity to the palate, where baked apple, mango cream and more guava flavors are balanced by firm texture and bright acidity.
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.