Back! Outrageous Sauvignon Blanc

Sorry for the absence. I've been fighting a cold and hit a lull after that very busy last week in October, but it's time to get caught up!

At last week's tasting meeting, I experienced an outrageous Sauvignon Blanc. It is the new vintage Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc from Robin Lail. The wine presented brisk aromas of candied citrus peels: lemon, lime grapefruit and hints of tangerine. It then coated the palate with tremendous viscosity. The citrus peels continued on the palate transitioning through a brief grassy interlude into a long complex minerally finish, kept sparkling with vibrant acids. The sensation was not unlike drinking a bone dry Sauternes. The wine is so rich, it's hard to believe it is crafted totally in stainless steel. After the meeting everyone joined in one common reaction, "WOW!!!" Randy was working on a dinner pairing the next day that involved grilled halibut with a pinapple glaze which would be a tremendous pairing with this wine.

For those not familiar with Robin Lail, she is an amazing woman who grew up in the inner circle of Napa Valley. Her great-uncle, Gustav Niebaum founded Inglenook Cellars in the late 1800's with the vision of making world-class wines. He passed this vision to Robin's father, John Daniels who oversaw the production of the legendary Inglenook Cabernet's of the mid 20th century that are still magnificent 50 years later. Robin grew up in the cellars while her father passed the vision to Robert Mondavi. While working with Mondavi on the Opus One project, she met Christian Moueix and together founded Dominus from the old Napanook vineyards then founded Merryvale with a young real estate developer named Bill Harlan. In 1995 she founded Lail Vineyards.

Follow the link to hear her tell her story: Robin Lail, Lail Vineyards.