Brassfield Estate Winery

Lake County is Sauvignon Blanc country – at least for now – and High Valley lies within Lake County, so one of the easy ways to get a reading on new producers in the area is to taste their SB. One sip of this, however, and we’re like Dorothy and Toto: no longer in Kansas, or any other dusty rural county touched by the occasional tornado. We’re a lot closer to white Bordeaux, and not just because the wine is more than 10% Semillon (Sauvignon Blanc’s traditional blending partner in Bordeaux). The wine is also anywhere from half a point to a more than a full percentage point less alcoholic than most new California Sauvignon Blancs, which makes it more European in all kinds of ways.

The sweet, thick aromas of ripe apples and honeydew melon are lushly summery, yet once you sip you encounter classic white wine structure. In the center of the fruity entry the wine introduces elegant yet decisive acidity, which then spreads out across the palate to give the finish a nice vibrancy and lift the fruit to the top of the chamber where it can reprise the aromas. Most California Sauvignon Blancs under $20 never hits that last note – but then again, hardly any SB vineyards in the state are producing just 2.5 tons per acre, like this one did. Good combination of selective viticulture and varietal blending, for a good price.

Reviewed March 23, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.