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Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc Wine Details
Price: $27.00 per bottle

Description: To me, Sauvignon Blanc is the Pinot Noir of the white wine world – a versatile wine that enhances and balances a broad range of food flavors and textures. My white wine of choice, it complements everything from triple-cream cheeses to oysters in green curry sauce. There are few Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in the Russian River Valley; I am fortunate to work with the finest growers and oldest plantings. This wine was barrel fermented using 20% elegant French oak from Tonnellerie Cadus to elevate the wine’s richness. During barrel aging, I stirred the lies twice weekly, a traditional French winemaking technique they call bâtonnage. This practice further increases the wine’s density. Aromas of fresh lychee, lemongrass and nutmeg expand to mouthwatering proportions on the palate. There is an element of peach and nectarine, and a suggestion of almond. The wine sweeps the senses and finishes on a long, uplifting note of honeysuckle nectar and bright Meyer lemon. This Sauvignon Blanc will find friends around the world: Vietnamese beef salad, Prince Edward Island mussels, Cuban pulled pork, my husband Ken’s paella, Irish smoked salmon and California sushi rolls.

Varietal Definition
Sauvignon Blanc:
Sauvignon Blanc is widely grown in California — at over 15,000 acres, it’s now the third most planted variety — and often assumes the moniker ‘Fume Blanc’. This popular synonym, credited to Napa’s Robert Mondavi, derives from the grape’s historic home of Pouilly in France’s Upper Loire Valley, where Sauvignon Blanc is the dominant varietal and goes locally by the name of ‘Blanc Fumé’. When treated with respect and afforded suitable growing conditions, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the wine world’s darlings. Steely, racy acidity, green, gooseberry fruit, asparagus and a grassy, herbaceous character characterize dry wines made from this grape.
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."


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