• 2012 Sauvignon Blanc
    Cuvée 128
    Mendocino
    • (750 ml) Sold Out!
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For some reason it didn't occur to us until about ten years ago that Sauvignon Blanc could thrive in Anderson Valley. The grape has a reputation for being too herbaceous in cool climates, so we assumed Anderson Valley would be too chilly for top-flight Savvy. After studying one of our favorite tomes “Catalog of Selected Wine Grape Varieties and Clones Cultivated in France,” it dawned on us that Sauvignon Blanc is an Epoch 1 (early) ripener, perfect for our maritime climate. In 2003, we were pleased when our friends, Bill and Nancy Charles, converted a field of Chardonnay vines in their Boonville vineyard by grafting over to Sauvignon Blanc, ENTAV clone 297, because of the clones reputation for producing quality wines in the Loire.

[above] Making notes at Navarro's weekday morning staff tasting. Wine from each of the various vineyard and clonal blocks of Sauvignon Blanc has a slightly different taste. Fermenting and ageing each lot separately, then selecting a blend from the best lots, provides us the opportunity of crafting a more complex wine.

Bill and Nancy Charles [below] in their Foursight Sauvignon Blanc vineyard; we've been purchasing grapes produced by these vines since their first harvest.


For almost thirty years our family has owned a ranch across the street from the Charles Vineyard, so in 2009 we planted seven and a half acres of Sauvignon Blanc, divided into three blocks, featuring highly regarded ENTAV clones from the Loire: 297, 376 and 530. The field was divided into seven different blocks based on the soil profile. Blocks four and six are mostly gravel and rock so we chose a vigorous rootstock called 110R. Block five has fewer stones and richer soil, so we used a less vigorous rootstock, SO4, with good nematode resistance. We're excited that the 2012 vintage is the first to include estate-grown grapes. Tart and sassy, this wine tempers the richness of smoked trout or pork rillettes. Gold Medal winner.

Specifications
  • Harvested: Sept. 19 to 30, 2012
  • Sugars at harvest: 22.6° Brix
  • Bottled: May 1 & 2, 2013
  • Cases produced: 2421
  • Alcohol: 13.6%
  • Titratable acidity: 7.3 g/L
  • pH: 3.18