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.
— 18 days ago

Ron from VA

9.3

Uhhh, quite the mind-blowing bottle. The finesse of this build is pure class. The oak is prominent but is a Prince Charming to Cinderella’s sweet perfect vintage fruit set. Tropical and touch floral with an amazing Meyer lemon & crème brûlée finish (that is silky/long). Top shelf build :) — 4 years ago

Brennan Roy

9.1

Terrific blend of Petite Verdot (32%), Cab Sauv (28%), Merlot (22%) and Cab Franc (18%), VA grown grapes. Medium body, fruit (berries) and tannins with a Swisher Sweet finish. Aerate! Great solo and pairs easily. Buy me more. — 6 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

Andrew Davidoff

9.6

Wow! My first taste of the mythical Mythicus. Did not disappoint straight out of the bottle with no aeration! Very Highly Recommended!!! — 8 years ago

with Sammy

Heather Rostker

9.3

Nice light rose - from our Screwtop club. Met the winemaker and learned the story of the label art. One of the few (only?) bi-coastal wineries (CA-VA). Really love the label - painted by Billy Zane with ashes from the fires around LA/Santa Barbara — a month ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

An interesting back story. This wine is from the Geelong District in Victoria. In 1848 Swiss Vigneron James Henry Dardel commenced the establishment of Paradise Winery and Vineyards, I, II, III and IV on the banks of the Moorabool River at Batesford near Geelong. He won local and overseas acclaim for his wines before the Geelong Wine industry was destroyed by phylloxera in 1881. In 1988 planting was re-established on the site of the original Paradise IV Vineyard by Graham and Ruth Bonney. The vineyard faces north east and has a unique soil profile of decomposed granite over limestone marl. The vineyard is low cropped and the wines are made using traditional winemaking techniques. The wine is Northern Rhone in style. Red florals with lots of spice and charcuterie. Rich and savoury on the medium plus bodied palate. Only 240 dozen made. Is there a square mile of Victoria not suitable for viticulture? — 3 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

Sharon B

9.1

I thought I would do something fun this Halloween season and post some “creepy” wines and pair them with some fun cheese. This is a nice blend from Paso Robles, medium body, dark garnet in color. Very tannic with notes of rhubarb and raspberry. I wish I could eat this cheese by the mouthful. It’s a Wensleydale cheese from the UK with strawberry and Prosecco. So sweet, it really offsets the tannins in the wine. 💀🍷🧀 — 6 years ago

Michael Park

9.2

In a really nice place. Fruits still there but secondary layers of earth coming in. — 8 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

Matt Gen

9.0

Lots of pear, very nice. — 8 years ago

Kerri

9.2

Outstanding! Great medium bodied, plum and earthy. Loved it — 3 months ago

Ron from VA

9.2

Loved the maturation on this bottle at nine years old: Sturdy and structured. Concentration of ripe red fruit plus plenty of phenolic verve. A fantastic representation of a masculine Virginia CF — 10 months ago

Alan Hense

9.8

Beautiful garnet. Still plenty of fruit.. bright raspberry, baked plum, wet leaves, cocoa, mushroom and spice. Perfect balance with lingering finish. Pronounced nose. Elegant, complex and refreshing. If only I had another bottle… — 4 years ago

James Mosman

8.9

Very sweet. On the verge of too sweet. — 5 years ago

Phil Castellano

9.2

Held up reasonably well but it’s heyday was a few years ago. Still has tobacco, notes of blackberry, and chocolate but had lost the intensity I remember from earlier bottles. — 6 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

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.1

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

Joe Weinberger

8.9

Bought this bottle 5 years ago. I really liked this wine back then but my tastes have changed a lot. I was happy that this turned out to be much more enjoyable than I thought it would. Quite nice. — 8 years ago