Winemaker Notes
This mouthwatering Sauvignon Blanc was crafted from two separate lots harvested from Blake’s Launch, a superb vineyard in the Russian River Valley, each contributing distinct aromas and flavors. Aromatics begin with delicate honeydew, pear, and refreshing lime zest leading to a laser beam of Meyer lemon, lime curd, jasmine, and lovely minerality. This wine finishes bright and balanced, with a crisp texture.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Aromas: Lime blossom, powdered vanilla, honeydew melon A harmony of citrus and springtime floral tones sets the stage on the brisk and clean palate, where it's joined by notes of fresh linen, lemon curd, and peach. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, with a small portion in neutral French oak, the wine finishes with a wash of wet-stone minerality.
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Wine Enthusiast
Bright, focused and citrusdominated, the nose of this wine is like a limescented laser beam with echoes of white flowers and freshly cut grass. The palate brings a nice tension between vibrant acidity, fleshy texture and flavors of salty lemon and lime peel.
Textbook was inspired by the Pey Family's travels in France and Italy, where they learned about wine and its place at the table. While abroad, they fell in love with European craftsmanship – wines made with structure, restraint, and revealing a 'sense of place.' For nearly two decades, they've fulfilled that vision – crafting exceptional, while approachable wines that truly represents the best a region has to offer.
Their high-caliber grower and producer partners provide them with superior lots, allowing them to consistently deliver complexity and quality vintage to vintage.
Winemaker Abigail "Abi" Horstman Estrada sources small lots from a range of climates and soils, providing a diverse palette of flavors and aromatics. She honed her winemaking chops in Italy, New Zealand, and Israel and worked for prestige brands like Markham, Domaine Chandon, and Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley. She crafts Textbook wines by keeping the lots separate, tasting them throughout the year, and then integrating the components to create balanced, complex wines that can be enjoyed independently or with various cuisines.
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.