Winemaker Notes
Fruit for this bottling is sourced from three different vineyards from the eastern edge of the Santa Ynez Valley in the AVA Happy Canyon: Grassini, McGinley, and Star Lane. The soils across the three vary with sand, shale and gravel at Star Lane and heavier clays with larger yellow and red chert, and serpentine rocks at both McGinley and Grassini. The fruit is always picked on the early side, whole cluster pressed into tank and then fermented in both stainless steel and in neutral barrels. After fermentation, all lots are put into neutral barrels through the winter before being racked a few months prior to bottling. The finished wine is mineral-driven, focused, and racy style that speaks more to Sancerre than to the riper, richer styles typical of California and other warmer climates.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc has a gregarious nose of ripe yellow peach, lemongrass, elderflower, stone and lime peel with herbal notes and a tropical fruit core. It's light to medium-bodied with intense citrus fruits and herbal tang, very zesty acidity and a tropical finish. 3,400 cases produced.
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.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.