Winemaker Notes
Pair with grilled calamari steaks and summer succotash.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Lemon pith and honey-vanilla provide substance to a floral, light and lingering wine also accented in melon that's food-friendly and refreshing.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
One of best qualities of the Russian River Valley is its diversity. While known mostly for excellent Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, Sauvignon Blanc has been quietly making headway and is now taking center stage. The 2015 Martin Ray offers pleasing aromas and flavors of ripe core fruit, melon, and dried herbs. The wine's supple finish makes it an elegant choice with oven-baked chicken. Drinking well now. (Tasted: July 8, 2016, 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.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.