Isaac Pirolo

9.1

I’ve had the hardest time remembering my new zip code even despite having written it a thousand times in the last few weeks... maybe I’m still dreaming... anyway...

It was still 90° at 7:30 so I went in search of Sauvignon Blanc. Sunshine Foods is the local grocery and has exactly the surprisingly very good selection that should be expected from a specialty local grocer in the heart of Napa Valley. I’m not going to lie, I bought this wine so that I would finally learn my zip code (even if I did let somebody ahead of me at checkout so I could finish researching it).

The winemaker is Sam Baxter of Terra Valentine and it’s sourced from the San Mateo Ranch Vineyard in Rutherford. At $19 that was good enough for me. Loaded with ripe pear and fresh, almost underripe melon, lime zest, and stony minerality, with just a tinge of honeysuckle that softens the corners. The acid is relatively toned down but still present enough to satisfy most purists. — 8 days ago

Jeff Savigny

9.3

Love that the heavy grassiness is subdued in favor of tropical fruit notes, while maintaining bright acidity. As Sav Blanc is one of my least favorite varietals, this one really does it for me. — 5 days ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Nose is faint petrol, wet slate, fresh cut yellow apple. Palate is better than a year ago, citrus but without the acidity, faint cassis-type flavor, very fun. Last bottle. 🤨 — 9 days ago

Randy Fuller

9.1

The wine has an herbal nose, not New Zealand herbal, though. There is some grassiness in the pale golden liquid, but it is well accompanied by grapefruit and tropical notes. The palate is so fresh, it's makes you happy if it's hot outside. Chill this wine and take a few degrees off the thermometer reading. The aforementioned grapefruit and tropicals show up as flavors, with a hint of stone fruit in there. The minerality is crisp and the acidity is zippy. The wine somehow makes me want a cold black sesame noodle dish to go with it. — 6 days ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.5

90° at 7pm calls for more Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
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Cloudy Bay was founded in 1985 by David Hohnen of Margaret River’s Cape Mentelle along with its first winemaker, Kevin Judd, who would go on to spend 25 years there before creating his own label, Greywacke. Judd is widely considered as the pioneer responsible for elevating New Zealand wine to its current status. Judd also happens to be one of the best wine photographers in the world (I highly recommend his ‘The Landscape of New Zealand Wine’).
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According to Master of Wine Bob Campbell “the genesis for Greywacke Wild Sauvignon was Cloudy Bay Te Koko; a funky, barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc that bent all the rules when it was made in 1992 and initially sold only through the cellar door. Greywacke Wild Sauvignon is a blend from 10 different Marlborough vineyards which are machine-harvested at night. After pressing the juice is settled before being pumped into mostly old barrels and fermented using indigenous yeasts (about 15-20 different strains). The wine undergoes a partial malolactic fermentation and lees stirring.”
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Incredible aromatics... an almost vibrant herbaceousness... red bell pepper, grapefruit zest, tangerine, apricot, and cucumber, with a silky smooth mouthfeel unlike most Sauvignon Blancs. Extraordinary. — 16 days ago

Willem Jan Withagen

9.2

Extreem tasty SB. Grassy, mineral, full of flavours. No buxus flavours. Finaly a SB that I really like. — 3 days ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

First stop on our MD trip this year was to Aperture Cellars in downtown Healdsburg.

Second wine tasted at Aperture Cellars with Lauren. Pale lemon lime yellow. A bit of hay on the nose to start followed up by some lemon zest. Nice sharpness on the palate with medium plus acidity (7.5/10) and medium to medium plus body. Refreshing palate with a touch of white flowers, sandy crushed rocks and some green tree fruits. Long finish that needs a little bit of air to open up. Drink till 2024.

(92+)

Tasted at the tasting room and retails for $35.00. — 23 days ago

with India

Jack Thompson

9.4

Amazing bottle. In the blind taste, all 8 individuals tasting guessed Chardonnay. This 2001 Sauvignon Blanc gave me grapefruit and some crazy funky nose (still can’t put words to it). What a wine. Thanks to @Benjamin Keator for providing. — 7 days ago

Joe Gillies

9.4

Love this! Perfect for a summer day by the pool! Nice mouthfeel, and a slight creaminess. Tropical notes as if I am on a beautiful Caribbean beach. — 3 days ago

Robert Evans Jr

9.1

Honeysuckle Pear on the nose. Paired well with Spicy General Taos Chicken — 2 days ago

with Nicole