...Let All Your Winter Worries Be Washed Away
As we write this post, we are fast approaching the end of January but the winter dreariness is still steadfast — refusing to let go or let us fantasize about the warmer times that seem so long in the past and so distant in the future. As we mind-numbingly trudge through the frigid monotony of short days and long nights, we wonder if there will ever be a reprieve…
But wait, what is this? Doth our eyes deceive us? Is that a straw-hued, golden savior that is emerging from the heavens to save us from this winter hellscape of frostbitten agony? Why, YES — it is SAUVY B! This yellow-tinged elixir could only have been handed down to us by some previously unknown Polynesian god of the South Pacific; drenching us in a liquid blanket of tropical, pineapple resplendence. Oh, what endless relief to know that we may never have suffer the sinister grip of Winter as long as this bottle is within arm’s reach.
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Well, now that we’ve worked that creative writing out of our system, I suppose we can talk about this Sauvignon Blanc for reals. Sauvignon Blanc, also known by its Jersey Shore nickname of Sauvy B, is a wine you are familiar with in some respect, but we are going to go out on a limb and guess that you’ve never had a SB quite like this. This Sauvignon Blanc actually does not come from the yields of the Ricci Vineyards property, but from the neighbors to our East — yes, that “other” valley that we strongly resist to name. As much as we like to (erroneously) claim that no good wine can come from Napa, it turns out that they can grow some pretty damn tasty grapes — especially in regions as revered and respected as Atlas Peak in the Vaca mountain range. Also, this Sauvginon Blanc is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill juice that tastes grassy or smells like cat pee (yes, there are some Sauvignon Blancs out there that are notorious for those traits). Instead, the Sauvignon Blanc fruit that went into this wine is a somewhat underutilized clone called Sauvignon Musqué.
Discovered in Bordeaux but popularized in California, Sauvignon Musqué is a rare type of Sauvignon Blanc that leans heavily into intense floral aromatics and pungently defined notes of melon, citrus and stone fruits. Also, as previously mentioned in this post, the pineapple vibes coming from this wine are absolutely, outlandishly unmistakable. If you’ve ever had our Ricci Dry Muscat, this Sauvignon Blanc could easily be identified as a close cousin in terms of a flavor profile; but with more of a beach bum, born-in-the-islands flair. It is for this reason that we think this wine is going to be an instant, warm weather Summer hangout companion. Honestly, we are already planning our backyard, poolside itineraries and undoubtedly this wine will be along for the ride.
So, to summarize, as much as we pride ourselves on being exclusively an estate producer of Carneros wine, we found ourselves too compelled and smitten with the quality of these grapes to leave them orphaned and alone. We swallowed our pride and took advantage of a situation we couldn’t pass up. That being said, we also saw this opportunity as a perfect segway and peek into the future peephole of our own vineyard. In 2023 we at Ricci Vineyards decided to plant our own block of Sauvignon Blanc vines knowing that this was a varietal we wanted to highlight and focus on ourselves. Although this Atlas Peak Sauvignon Blanc might end up being a one-off, our own Carneros iteration of Sauvy B is sauntering towards us not too far off in the distance. Enjoy this version while we have it (as it is destined to be depleted pretty quickly) but stayed tuned for more of our SB in the near future. Rest assured that Sauvignon Blanc is definitely not leaving the building anytime soon.
