Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of gooseberry, lemon blossom, and sappy mint notes emerge from the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Griva Vineyard, which is medium-bodied and nicely textured on the palate. It has loads to love and is going to shine on the dinner table.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: While I often drink a racier style of Sauvignon Blanc, I was delighted to find a winery that made an excellent Sauvignon from the Musqué clone. In many wine-drinking circles, the Musqué clone is considered the user-friendly side of the grape varietal, and many of those wines seem too soft and too uninspiring. The 2017 Eden Rift Griva Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is not that way at all. TASTING NOTES: This wine is smooth and friendly, but not shy away from being well-balanced and pure. Its aromas and flavors move between ripe melon to dried herbs. Pair it with steamed clams in an aromatic wine reduction broth. (Tasted: August 9, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Named after the dramatic, seasonal river of rain and snowmelt that cuts through the upper elevations of the Santa Lucia Mountains, the Arroyo Seco AVA extends east from the resultant mountain gorge, and into the rural and warm Salinas Valley. During the growing season, cool and damp Pacific Ocean air penetrates the gorge and flows into the valley, creating a cool evening respite for vineyards after a hot summer day. This natural water-release has also created a subterranean aquifer, which helps set the foundation of the AVA's boundaries and supplies the vineyards with water.
Arroyo Seco was actually home to the first commercial vineyard in California, called Mission Ranch, which was owned and propogated by the Mirassou family in the 1960s.
Chardonnay is most widely grown here. But as one of Monterey’s warmer regions, Arroyo Seco enjoys the highest praise for its reds, namely Bordeaux blends.
Arroyo Seco is one of the oldest AVAs in California, its status granted in the early 1980s, and also remains one of its smallest.