2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
This wine is blended from all four of our vineyards. We choose barrels (or tanks) that have a more energetic, taut, and lively character, along with the depth and concentration that these fabulous vineyards can provide when farmed properly. The wine ages for a total of 8 months on the lees, before it is blended, cold stabilized with a light fining (plant and soil-based fining agents) and gently cross flow filtered before bottling. This wine has routinely been highly rated by critics and coveted by top restaurants. The wine pairs with a tremendous variety of foods with weight and interest lifted by great structure and acidity.
2021 was a very cool vintage that, unlike 2020, did not suffer from searing heat waves. The season was long and measured, with exceptional ripeness and lower sugars and fantastic acidities. We love this vintage. The wine is comprised of 60% Grassini, 27% Vogelzang, 8% Two Wolves, 5% Grimm’s Bluff. It was aged in 85% neutral oak barrels and 15% stainless steel. We think it is exceptionally bright and lively, but with real depth from the long season and the fantastic condition of the vines.
The 2021 wine has not yet been rated, but the 2020 was widely loved by critics (95 Wine Advocate, 92 points, Vinous).
This wine is limited, as it has been out of stock for a while and demand is high. It will be a great wine for summer (and the summer after that if you can keep some). Enjoy!
2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Grassini Family Vineyard ** Wine Club Wine, Fall 2022
2020 was a miracle vintage as we have discussed many times over the last year. Somehow, we missed all the wildfires that ravaged the state. A cool year was sped up by a massive heatwave in August, which caused some dehydration and required us pick the Sauvignon Blancs very quickly during the following cool down.. Grapes were picked in our three blocks from August 18-21. Yields were very low (well under 3 tons per acre), but acidities were still excellent due to the cool year.
The 2020 Grassini selection was comprised of wines that were aged in 100% French oak barrels (228L) and Cigars (300L), 10% of which were new. The wine was aged on its lees for a total of 16 months before bottling. The wine shows its usual kaleidoscopic green fruited (kiwi, honeydew) and tropical (passion fruit, fresh coconut) and flavors, with nice lift from vibrant, yet round and lip-smacking acidity.
The 2020 Grassini has not been reviewed but Jeb Dunnuck gave the 2019 Grassini 96 points and some great press, calling it “one of the finest examples of this variety in California”. The Wine Advocate gave it 95 points as well.
Extremely limited – Only 250 cases produced, most going to the wine club this Fall.
2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard **Wine Club Wine, Winter 2022
Vogelzang is a tremendous site. We have leased several acres here since 2009, and these wines have been some of our most decorated and long-lived wines – as much as the reds! Vines are now 20 years old and in their prime.
In 2020 the vessels selected for this wine were 100% French oak barrels of varying sizes (228L barriques, 276L “cigars”, and 300L and 320 L “Muid’ocs”). In total the new wood represented 22% of the blend. The wine was aged for a total of 18 months on its lees before bottling.
The resulting wine shows classic Vogelzang character of powerful stone fruit, mango and pineapple aromas, with some floral and herb notes, followed by dramatic fruit flavors of great concentration and texture leading to a whiplash of citrus dominated acidity and effusive minerality, which gives a tremendous finish.
The 2020 is a worthy successor to the 97-point (Jeb Dunnuck) 2019 Vogelzang, which Jeb said, “just blew me away” with “thrilling notes of crushed limes, lemons, sappy flowers, and minerality.” Jeb concluded his review, saying this wine is “as good as anything out there!” The Wine Advocate added 96 points as well.
Extremely Limited. Only 260 cases produced. Most going to the Wine Club in February 2023.
2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Grimm’s Bluff Vineyard
From its inception, Grimm’s Bluff has been painstakingly and biodynamically farmed for top quality grapes, yields be damned. The vineyard produces extremely small vines and tiny clusters, which give highly concentrated fruit. We selected three separate blocks (head trained clone 1, vertical shoot position (“VSP”) clone 1 and VSP musque clone) for this wine, which is aged in French oak Cigars, a portion of which is new (light long toast). Here the wood frames the wine, stretching it and lengthening it so that the finish lasts minutes.
In 2020, we aged the wine for 16 months on its lees in 75% French oak of various shapes and sizes (27% new) and 25% stainless steel. The resulting wine was all Clone 1, 75% head trained section, 25% VSP. As is typical, this wine is tightly coiled, with powerful minerals from the clay and river rock soils, and deeply concentrated from low (2.39 tpa) yields. Melons and stone fruits are held aloft by citrus, minerals, excellent acidity and the structure from the new oak barrels. It should age for a long time.
Again, it is too soon for scores on this wine, but the 2019 was 95 points, Wine Advocate.
This wine is extremely limited, only 120 cases were produced.