Their are lots of different Sauvignon Blanc experiences out there. It can be watery and uninteresting, with maybe a little stone fruit or citrus. It can be grassy and almost pungent, a style that made New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc famous and very popular. It can be elegant, perhaps blended with a little Semillon and barrel aged, as it would be in Bordeaux. When done right, this grape makes a great white wine. Here we have an offering from Samuel Charles, a new producer in California. Along with this Sauvignon Blanc, they also make two California Cabernets.
Samuel Charles wines come from Dennis and Stephen Kreps, the father and son owners of Quintessential Wines, and the label is named after Dennis’ two sons. It is also a proprietary label for Quintessential. For this particular wine, the grapes come from vineyards in the High Valley AVA of Lake County, just north of Napa Valley in California. These are high altitude vineyards at about 2000 feet, planted on sloping, well drained hillsides. It sees only stainless steel during fermentation and aging, and spends time on the lees for added richness and texture.
The winemaker here is none other than Bob Pepi, a renowned Napa Valley winemaker who consults and lends his expertise to wineries in many places, including South America and Colorado. His own wines, under the Eponymous label, are pretty spectacular, and we have reviewed some of them in the past. You can see a review of some older vintages by clicking here. If Bob is involved, it’s a pretty safe bet the wine will be outstanding. Let’s see how this turned out:
Wine: 2018 Samuel Charles Sauvignon Blanc
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: March 2019
Tasting Notes: a very light straw color with a greenish hue, the wine has a big nose of peach, pear, melon and a 
bit of grapefruit. This is clean and rich on the palate, and you definitely get the added texture which the sur lie treatment adds. At the end, the fruit goes more toward ripe melon, with a deliciously long finish. This is a high quality, bright but substantial Sauvignon Blanc.
Price Point – $25
Would We Buy It? – We would. The quality is evident, which is not surprising considering Bob Pepi makes it. It is well above your everyday grade Sauvignon Blanc.
It will be interesting to see how the Samuel Charles label develops over the next few years. If this is any indication, the Cabernets are likely pretty excellent themselves. We’ll have to find that out for ourselves.
You can read more about the portfolio of outstanding wines distributed by Quintessential Wines on their website, at: http://www.quintessentialwines.com/index.cfm
A votre santé!
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