Freddy R. Troya

9.9

Sanguis — Lady, Birds & Boy 2019. Central Coast (Santa Ynez Valley), California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A Rhône-inspired white blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, and Malvasia Bianca that has evolved into a remarkably layered and expressive wine. Time has transformed this already distinctive California white into something profoundly elegant, proving that patience is richly rewarded.

Aromas & Flavors
The youthful citrus has matured into preserved lemon, baked orchard fruit, chamomile, honeycomb, white blossoms, Mediterranean herbs, wet stone, and delicate beeswax. Every swirl uncovers another dimension, with savory nuances and mineral tension carrying through an exceptionally long finish.

Mouthfeel
Silky, mouth-coating, and beautifully integrated. Rich without heaviness, supported by vibrant acidity that keeps the wine energetic and focused. The finish is remarkably long, saline, and continually evolves in the glass.

Food Pairings
A spectacular match for creamy seafood dishes, lobster, scallops, shrimp, grilled fish, herb-infused pasta, roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, or aged alpine cheeses.

Verdict
A cerebral California white that showcases what thoughtful cellaring can achieve. Deeply complex, impeccably balanced, and effortlessly elegant, this vintage confirms that Lady, Birds & Boy belongs among California’s truly age-worthy white wines.

🍷 Did You Know?
Made by acclaimed winemaker Matthias Pippig, Lady, Birds & Boy is built around Rhône and Mediterranean white varieties that are rarely seen together in California. Rather than emphasizing fruit alone, the wine is crafted with structure and texture, allowing it to evolve beautifully for years after release.

🍷 Personal Pick
This vintage completely changed my perspective on California white wines. I paired it with creamy lemon torchetti pasta, shrimp, scallops, fresh herbs, and dill, and the combination was nothing short of sensational. What impressed me even more was leaving one-third of the bottle open for over 7 hours. Instead of fading, the wine kept unfolding with greater complexity, precision, and elegance. That experience convinced me this isn’t simply a great bottle. it’s a cellar-worthy wine, and one I’m actively hunting down before it disappears.
— a month ago

Brendan Baker

9.2

Chamomile, lemon-lime, bright and lean ⚡️ — 5 years ago

Julia Geisler

8.9

Thank you so much to Holly at The Whitby for sharing this pick! Very pleasant to talk with and a wonderfully versatile palate.
I received for Xmas one of those nice sunlight alarm clocks that goes off with chirping birds in the morning and weirdly that’s what I thought of when I took the first sip of this. Acidic but not in a way that makes you want to throw it out the window. A nice little wake up call (but for the evening! not the morning) with just a nice lil fruity kick to make it pleasant for sipping.
A reminder that I’d really like to try more orange wines for the sake of simply Understanding. — 7 years ago

with Chantelle

Monique

9.0

Crisp and easy to drink. Great with fish. — 7 years ago

Jenks

9.2

Wax. Bees. Apple orchard. Rocks. Nice acidity pulling it all together. I need more Chenin like this in my life. — 8 years ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.1

Really nice Rose. Reminds me more of a French style. Really impressed. Nice acidity to it. — 8 years ago

Stephanie Zolynski

10

One of my favorite wines! Definitely can taste the jam and berry flavor — 3 years ago

David B

9.7

Fantastic. Thank you again Joe and Gail! — 4 years ago

Robert Swart

8.9

Full bodied, velvet texture, medium tannins. Flavors of warn leather, dried cherries, baking spices, vanilla and a little tobacco. — 4 years ago

Nick Brandon

8.9

Love a screw top!
Dark, opaque ruby color.
On the nose it's woodsy, earthy, and very berry prominent. Cherry primarily, VERY reminiscent of the heart-shaped cherry lolipops from Valentine's day in grade school.
On the palate, lots of character and a developing finish which brings out tannins that offer a savory chew.
Not as sweet and fruity as it smells. — 4 years ago

Ericsson

9.8

This is a wine lovers dream… It is very old, it is hedonistic, it is rare and simply put, a beautiful wine. The bottle was properly decanted and aerated for a couple of hours. The color is bright gold; initially, the nose is intense with an acrylic paint scent dominating. However the nose evolves into intense sexy notes of bees wax, honey, butter scotch, and mead wine that are just captivating; can keep smelling for hours on end. On the pallet it is more beautiful, if that is even possible, with preserved apricot, creme brûlée and an orange marmalade like acidity. It is very round, rich, sweet but never overdone. It flows on the pallet like the sweetest memory… And you just don’t want it to fade. — 6 years ago

Brian Garbedian

9.2

Magic after an hour +. Fresh cut flowers. Bees wax. Honey. Honeycrisp Apple. Chalky long finish. Mouth watering acidity. Like licking a rock. — 7 years ago

Douglas Braun

9.0

Wonderful white blend bees wax, white flowers apple fruit — 8 years ago

with Mark

Kate

9.2

Shared this at a hotel bar with a friend. Love the label with the birds. Too bad no cardinal on it. My friend has an affinity for that bird. Typical Williamette valley Pinot. We enjoyed it. Much better to drink this than the per glass offerings. — 3 years ago

Erica Wheeler

9.0

Spicy, easy to drink red. — 4 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

9.1

White BDX is almost always a value and such a versatile food pairing wine. Initially the Sauvignon Blanc dominates, but with time the Semillon (75%) takes center stage: wet gravel, green papaya, ginger, green melon, grapefruit, green fig, Burt’s Bees lip balm… as the glass warms up, there are even some peach/mango notes coming through and I get more of that mid palate Semillon weight and depth. This wine wants oysters, but also plays well with coconut chicken curry & sticky rice. Such a classic. — 4 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

A beautiful example of the varietal. Intense aromas of gardenias, rose petals and baking spices. Hints of lemon and tangerine. Lychee and green melon flavors with hints of white pepper and bees wax. Viscous texture, crisp acidity and a spicy finish. Beautiful! — 5 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.1

Now that Chenin finally have got its big breakthrough, its time to devour in its versatility. Yet it is still flying under the radar for the bigger crowd and there are plenty of bargains around, like the Vincent Careme Vouvray Le Peu Morier.
Savoury, tactile, racy and complex with a penetrating acidity, white pears, nectarines, orange caramel is twirling around a core of wet stones, mushrooms, star anise and bees wax. Give it some time in the glass, or even better, in the decanter and it will reward you greatly. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

This is a young wine that I opened last weekend and enjoyed but, had to seal it up and put back into storage until tonight. It’s a touch faded (10%) but, like all young wine, resilient.

The nose reveals, ripe & candied; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, well extracted pomegranate, the blue fruits he does so well and I love in Pinot, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, raspberries, beautiful layered baking spices, medium intensity dark spices, steeped fruit tea, red fruit cola, hints of dry crushed rocks, limestone, dark, blue, purple flowers with hints of lavender.

The body is full with a fair amount of tannin presence. Nicely knitted structure, tension, length and balance for such a young Pinot. Ripe & candied; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, well extracted pomegranate, the blue fruits he does so well and I love in Pinot, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, touch of cooked rhubarb, raspberries, beautiful layered baking spices, medium intensity dark spice with shades of palate heat, steeped fruit tea, red fruit cola, saline notes, dry herbs, menthol, eucalyptus, hints of dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, dry & moist clay, limestone, leathery, wood staves, amazing dark, blue, purple flowers with hints of lavender. The acidity is excellent. The ripe, elegant, balanced, polished finish is delicious and persists nicely for minutes.

Paul makes beautiful expressions of Pinot, Rhône styles & Chardonnay. If you have not had them, well worth your time & investment to seek out.

Photos of; his Sierra Madre Vineyard...netted to keep the birds from eating his fruit, fruit near harvest time, my picture meeting Paul for the first time last week weekend at a “Matter of Taste” in Napa last weekend and their barrel room. — 7 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.8

Absolutely brilliant. This is one of the best grenaches I’ve had in a long time. Incredible aromas of plumbs, blackberries, candied blueberries, along with hints of cinnamon and clove. The palate is absolutely stunning: seamless evolution of fruit coupled with perfectly intergrated sweet tannins leading to a finish that goes on for over a minute. I have no idea if this will improve with more time in the cellar, but I have no idea why you would wait: this is unreal. Manfred Krankle is a GOD!!! 👍 — 8 years ago

with Vanessa