This is what California Sauvignon Blanc is all about: lime zest, white peach, notes of lemon grass on a refreshing finish. At 1,200 feet above the main valley floor, Grist Vineyard gets intense sunlight for full ripening as well as cool ocean breezes and a good diurnal shift for the development of phenolic complexity. The Musque clone delivers an extra floral touch naturally; on top of all that Woody leaves this to naturally ferment, using all its own indigenous yeasts, allowing the clone and site specificities to shine.
Alluringly fragrant, this is a snappy and fresh Sauvignon that is just soft enough on the palate but lifted by a zippy acidity and followed through with bright tangerine notes.
Specifications
Vintage: 2017
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley
Vineyards: Grist Vineyard
Altitude: 1,200 ft elevation
Soil: Volcanic, iron-rich
Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc, Musque clone
Vine age: 5 years old
Yield: 3.5 tons/acre
Harvest: Timing determined by taste
Vinification: Hand harvested, then direct pressed and cold fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak; 5-6 week natural fermentation with native yeasts and negligible addition of sulfites.
Aging: 6 months in 60% stainless steel and 40% neutral oak barrel
Alcohol: 13.7%
Production: 480 cases
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $300/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Alysian Wines
Owners: The Hambrecht Family & Gary Farrell
Founded: 2006
Location: Russian River Valley
The Hambrecht family has been in the California wine business for over 35 years, partnering in esteemed brands like Ridge, Chalone, and Truett Hurst. Bill Hambrecht was among the first visionary business owners to open a winery on Healdsburg’s picturesque Westside Road in 1982. Belvedere Winery marked the beginning of what would become a family tradition and commitment to producing wines of the utmost quality. It’s this commitment to excellence that led to Alysian Wines, which is the result of the 2006 partnership between the Hambrechts and veteran winemaker, Gary Farrell, who is known in the industry for his uncompromising standards and resolute attention to detail. Sourced from only the best vineyards in the Russian River Valley, Alysian’s multiple award-winning wines strike a delicate balance with flavor profiles that delight both connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Alysian Sauvignon Blanc - $45 = 27.26%
I had the privilege to experience this wine from tank in its youth and fell madly in love with it. The aromatics are beguiling and seductive, the palate both lush and crisp. One of Woody Hambrecht’s finest efforts. He dialed in perfect balance, restrained alcohol and a long pure line. It takes courage to naturally ferment SB, as malolactic is risked, but the subtle nuances that here add extra dimensions without interfering with its purity of focus were worth the gamble.
@karenhynes We know the pain- we’re out of space too, but wanted to get a case. To all vintners- I apologize for the challenges our patchwork of state laws. (Including our Illinois)
@chipgreen Actually, it wasn’t a late dinner, but we had to rush off to church for the Lenten program we were chairing, and didn’t have time to post until e got home.
I’m always curious how long a well made sauv blanc will hold up. I know most are designed to be drank quickly, but this sounds like it has a bit more body and capability to last a few years if I can’t drink it straight off.
@PatrickKarcher your guess is as good as mine. I grabbed a case anyways on the pretense it will probably last a couple of years without much issue and I’ll periodically pull one to see how it’s holding up. I don’t drink a lot of whites but like them in a Rhone style (loved the rousanne and marsanne that wellington put out)
@deadlyapp Same. Although my skill in picking up flavors and such is still pretty weak, I’m growing increasingly confident in my ability to judge longevity by taste.
Having tried several dozen wines from Casemates, I have never experienced WineDavid selling a wine that was going down hill. I’m sure it’s accidentally happened once or twice. Sometimes we see “drinking this year would probably be best”, but I’ve never seen “drink now! quick!”.
My wife loves Sauv Blanc pretty consistently. She did not go for the Qupe Marsanne. I sure did!
@deadlyapp
Opened perhaps the first of the lot this evening. Can’t comment on how it may have been more in it’s youth, but your TN and the one from Cabfrankophile are both pretty much spot on for this bottle.
@Odedi
Thanks for the tasting notes. Maybe too late if you’ve already finished the bottle but I have sometimes found with whites and even roses that they can have a bitter edge to them if they don’t have a chance to warm up a bit from the fridge. If you do have some left, would be interested to see if your perception of bitterness changes after allowing the wine to warm about halfway between fridge temp and room temp.
@chipgreen@Odedi For years, we drank our white wines too cold, and noticed that they tended to improve as we enjoyed them with our meals. We finally realized that they tasted better because they were at a more suitable temperature. My theory about bitterness is that because it is one of the basic flavors, it is not masked so much by the cold temperature as are the more enjoyable flavors we’re looking for.
Any northern MA folks want to split a case on this? I’m intrigued, but looks like no NH shipping I work down near the border to pick up should be easy enough to coordinate…
@wordek there is a mailing list for southern NH region casemates-- are you on it? It doesn’t get much traffic but that could be a chicken and egg thing.
@Kawa Missed this - bought a case and have about 3-4 to spare if anyone is interested and missed out! Otherwise going to need to keep it handy for a few summer parties!
NOVA Casemates, I got a case. If anyone want a few, I’ll share. Not because I want to, but because wine budget is hosed and I could use some cash out refi.
@winer The fact that it is neutral oak shouldn’t impart any wood/oak profile to the wine. Mainly what that is going to do is just round it out a bit. Can’t speak for Charles, I mean Clark, but that might be the lush he refers to.
@kaolis Thanks for that, I panicked and cancelled my order and I’m doing some more research. Wine Spectator gave a previous vintage (2014 I think) an 86. Reviews on vivino are generally positive, lots of citrus and minerality mentioned… I might have to re-order
@rjquillin@losthighwayz As I said, I am willing to order so long as folks are willing to pay freight. Lost and I are in Whittier. Ron, how many do you want?
Hey WD - any thoughts on how this compares style-wise to Dry Creek (my favorite SB)? I am much more inclined toward Dry Creek’s minerality style than the fruity Marlborough style.
@woopdedoo i’d be fibbing if i had that at my finger tips (or tip of the tongue). i respect both wineries alot and know there is a high degree of quality and craftsmenship when making the wines. no corners cut. Good luck with Duke, they dodged a serious bullet last game…
@Winedavid49 Dodge is right. But losing to Johnny Dawkins would have been poetic. With MSU in my backyard, it might get a bit prickly in the next round.
For what it’s worth, I’ve enjoyed Grist vineyard zinfandel for quite some time. I visited Belvedere winery back in 2002 or so and loved Bradford mountain Zin they used to sell at the winery. I believe Belvedere was sold to a pinot noir venture a few years later. In any event, I recall the zin was fruity, bold, and nice acidity without being cloying. I’ve bought a few other zins from Grist over the years and truly enjoy them. I never knew sauvignon blanc grapes were planted there. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say or why I’m rambling on. See ya!
I finally have a chance to deliver a report on my experience with this wine. Sorry it’s so late, but I had no idea it was coming, and only just barely caught the delivery man yesterday as he was leaving a door tag. Both bahwm and I had to be out most of the evening both yesterday and today.
Let me begin with a disclaimer: Besides being primarily a red wine drinker, I’ve never been a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc in general. However, we consider wine pretty much an essential part of our evening meal on a daily basis, and will drink both reds and whites any time of year, based on what we’re having for dinner. Tonight, hoping for a good pairing, we had some haddock filets roasted in the oven with a bread crumb and Parmesan crust, accompanied by black japonica rice and sugar snap peas.
Knowing our tendency to drink whites at too cool a temperature, and not wanting the food aromas to influence our palates before we tasted the wine, bahwm poured a bit (maybe 2 ounces), and gave it some warmup time, while I got busy with dinner prep. I gave it about 10 minutes, and it got up to about 50°F. (10°C.) before tasting it. I’d say that was just about perfect. The nose was showing some light citrus aromas (no grapefruit) and maybe a bit of melon or peach. A great start. The first sip showed more citrus, I’d say lemons and limes, and something else I still can’t identify, but it complemented the citrus. There was a nice minerality and an acidity that balanced the fruit flavors perfectly. I enjoyed the wine on its own more than I expected. Then I brought out dinner, and got a chance to see how it would fare, although with a fairly light touch on the seasonings, I didn’t anticipate any problem. With food, this wine really shone. I had cooked the rice with a splash of my limoncello added to the water, finishing it with a pat of butter, and the peas were finished with a little lemon infused olive oil, all decided before the first taste of the wine. The pairing was really quite excellent, thanks due to the winemaker more than the chef. The wine worked very nicely with each element of the meal, something I don’t always get. As it continued to warm up during dinner, it tasted just right until it got a bit too warm, and we put the chiller jacket on the bottle. I noticed an earlier reviewer had mentioned bitterness on the finish, but I didn’t get any of that, just a nice sprightly acid that made it work well on its own, as well as with the meal.
I hope this isn’t too late to help some of you decide. We already have too much wine on hand, but we’ll be getting a case before it sells out. For a wine this excellent, as WD likes to say, “this is a screaming deal,” especially at the case price.
ddeuddeg & I had the privilege of ratting the 2017 Alysian Sauvignon Blanc Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley. We had no idea that it was coming and almost missed it! On another note, last night’s dinner would have totally clashed with this wine!
Fast forward to tonight: I pulled the wine from the fridge and realized that it was waaaayyy too cold. So, I poured each of us a glass to allow for the wine to warm up a bit. The screw cap revealed very pleasant aromas, and then, I left the room.
I returned about 15 minutes later to do the sniff test. From the glass, I got a lot of floral notes, but also some crispness, and believe it or not, some richness. On the palate, I found some lovely citrus notes, including some very toned-down grapefruit, maybe even a bit of apricot. It also exhibits a well-balanced minerality. This wine exhibited a bit of lushness, perhaps the time it spent in neutral barrels contributed to this. I consumed a goodly pour during this initial taste. It was so good and kept getting better as it warmed up. With food, it was just as good, if not better.
This is a lovely wine! I loved it on its own! I loved it with food! It is a great quaffing wine—not something that one expects from a Sauvignon Blanc!
@DogandWine Hey there ! I’m next to USF near the Haight Ashbury area. I ordered a case so you can have any many bottles as you’d like to have. I can meet you around the area if that helps.
Tasting Notes
This is what California Sauvignon Blanc is all about: lime zest, white peach, notes of lemon grass on a refreshing finish. At 1,200 feet above the main valley floor, Grist Vineyard gets intense sunlight for full ripening as well as cool ocean breezes and a good diurnal shift for the development of phenolic complexity. The Musque clone delivers an extra floral touch naturally; on top of all that Woody leaves this to naturally ferment, using all its own indigenous yeasts, allowing the clone and site specificities to shine.
Alluringly fragrant, this is a snappy and fresh Sauvignon that is just soft enough on the palate but lifted by a zippy acidity and followed through with bright tangerine notes.
Specifications
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $300/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Alysian Wines
Owners: The Hambrecht Family & Gary Farrell
Founded: 2006
Location: Russian River Valley
The Hambrecht family has been in the California wine business for over 35 years, partnering in esteemed brands like Ridge, Chalone, and Truett Hurst. Bill Hambrecht was among the first visionary business owners to open a winery on Healdsburg’s picturesque Westside Road in 1982. Belvedere Winery marked the beginning of what would become a family tradition and commitment to producing wines of the utmost quality. It’s this commitment to excellence that led to Alysian Wines, which is the result of the 2006 partnership between the Hambrechts and veteran winemaker, Gary Farrell, who is known in the industry for his uncompromising standards and resolute attention to detail. Sourced from only the best vineyards in the Russian River Valley, Alysian’s multiple award-winning wines strike a delicate balance with flavor profiles that delight both connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, April 18th - Monday, April 22nd
Alysian Sauvignon Blanc
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Alysian Sauvignon Blanc
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Alysian Sauvignon Blanc - $45 = 27.26%
Heckuva pedigree here… and only $10 at the case price? WD is killing me! Summer is coming up and my wife loves Sauv Blancs. Hmm…
I had the privilege to experience this wine from tank in its youth and fell madly in love with it. The aromatics are beguiling and seductive, the palate both lush and crisp. One of Woody Hambrecht’s finest efforts. He dialed in perfect balance, restrained alcohol and a long pure line. It takes courage to naturally ferment SB, as malolactic is risked, but the subtle nuances that here add extra dimensions without interfering with its purity of focus were worth the gamble.
@winesmith
As Charlie Brown would say… auggh! How can I resist this now with Clark’s added recommendation?
NE Ohio peeps, if I pull the trigger on this - a little help?
@winesmith You know you’re not helping with a pre-existing storage condition.
It’s got a funny cap on it’s head.
@winesmith oy, this doesn’t help the wbm
@winesmith love this post. Love Clark ( aka Charles)
@chipgreen @winesmith I’m in for 3-4 bottles. Sounds delicious! Thanks!
@chipgreen @mehnyblooms Last night…“I’m not buying any more wine!” This morning…“count me in for 3-4”. Looks like another case split. Who’s buying???
@chipgreen @mrn1 I’ll buy. It’s my turn.
@chipgreen @mehnyblooms @mrn1 I’m sitting this one out.
No IL? Perhaps that’s a good thing. I’m way over my storage capacity. Still, it sounds delicious.
@karenhynes We know the pain- we’re out of space too, but wanted to get a case. To all vintners- I apologize for the challenges our patchwork of state laws. (Including our Illinois)
Any rats?
@losthighwayz Bottle arrived yesterday without warning, too late to sample. Will get to it with dinner tonight, and post a review ASAP.
@ddeuddeg @losthighwayz
Must be a late dinner!
@chipgreen Actually, it wasn’t a late dinner, but we had to rush off to church for the Lenten program we were chairing, and didn’t have time to post until e got home.
I’m always curious how long a well made sauv blanc will hold up. I know most are designed to be drank quickly, but this sounds like it has a bit more body and capability to last a few years if I can’t drink it straight off.
@deadlyapp I was hoping someone would answer this, but maybe no one knows. Will this last a couple years?
@PatrickKarcher your guess is as good as mine. I grabbed a case anyways on the pretense it will probably last a couple of years without much issue and I’ll periodically pull one to see how it’s holding up. I don’t drink a lot of whites but like them in a Rhone style (loved the rousanne and marsanne that wellington put out)
@deadlyapp Same. Although my skill in picking up flavors and such is still pretty weak, I’m growing increasingly confident in my ability to judge longevity by taste.
Having tried several dozen wines from Casemates, I have never experienced WineDavid selling a wine that was going down hill. I’m sure it’s accidentally happened once or twice. Sometimes we see “drinking this year would probably be best”, but I’ve never seen “drink now! quick!”.
My wife loves Sauv Blanc pretty consistently. She did not go for the Qupe Marsanne. I sure did!
@deadlyapp
Opened perhaps the first of the lot this evening. Can’t comment on how it may have been more in it’s youth, but your TN and the one from Cabfrankophile are both pretty much spot on for this bottle.
@rjquillin I still have a handful of bottles left so I’m glad you still find it to be holding together.
How dry is this?
@PatrickKarcher
Dry white wine
Light straw in color with a golden tint.
Pronounce nose of citrus, lemons, grapefruits, green apples, light tropical fruits, spices, minerals and white pepper.
Medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing, with medium-plus acidity.
Dry on the palate with limes, citrus, green apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs, spices, green vegetables and light black pepper.
Short, spicy finish with bitter almonds.
This is a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Valley, California. Nice on the mid palate, but the finish is too bitter for my taste.
Better with food than just by itself.
I paired it with a cheese plate and crackers.
13.7% alcohol by volume.
@Odedi Thank you for your Lab Rat report!
@Odedi
Thanks for the tasting notes. Maybe too late if you’ve already finished the bottle but I have sometimes found with whites and even roses that they can have a bitter edge to them if they don’t have a chance to warm up a bit from the fridge. If you do have some left, would be interested to see if your perception of bitterness changes after allowing the wine to warm about halfway between fridge temp and room temp.
@chipgreen @Odedi For years, we drank our white wines too cold, and noticed that they tended to improve as we enjoyed them with our meals. We finally realized that they tasted better because they were at a more suitable temperature. My theory about bitterness is that because it is one of the basic flavors, it is not masked so much by the cold temperature as are the more enjoyable flavors we’re looking for.
@chipgreen @ddeuddeg @Odedi That’s interesting. I’ve been hesitating because of the “bitter” descriptor.
Any northern MA folks want to split a case on this? I’m intrigued, but looks like no NH shipping
I work down near the border to pick up should be easy enough to coordinate…
@wordek there is a mailing list for southern NH region casemates-- are you on it? It doesn’t get much traffic but that could be a chicken and egg thing.
@revmem no I’m not on it - can you link me to whatever thread has the info?
@wordek it’s mentioned in here … https://casemates.com/forum/topics/souther-nh-and-ma-border
or I think you can just go to the group/forum page https://groups.google.com/d/forum/casemates-southernnh
Any NYC folks up for splitting a case, free shipping?
@mstew @invinoveritas @cfhudson @klyphtihn @msdixon @canonizer @msavill3 @chrismartin @chuchuw @rkalantari
@Kawa id go in for 2-3
@Kawa I could also go 2-3
Any more takers? I’m n willing to pay but i really don’t have space for more than 4…
@Kawa
@Kawa Missed this - bought a case and have about 3-4 to spare if anyone is interested and missed out! Otherwise going to need to keep it handy for a few summer parties!
NOVA Casemates, I got a case. If anyone want a few, I’ll share. Not because I want to, but because wine budget is hosed and I could use some cash out refi.
Wait, a sauv blanc on oak? Not sure I’m okay with that…
@winer The fact that it is neutral oak shouldn’t impart any wood/oak profile to the wine. Mainly what that is going to do is just round it out a bit. Can’t speak for Charles, I mean Clark, but that might be the lush he refers to.
@kaolis Thanks for that, I panicked and cancelled my order and I’m doing some more research. Wine Spectator gave a previous vintage (2014 I think) an 86. Reviews on vivino are generally positive, lots of citrus and minerality mentioned… I might have to re-order
Anyone in PDX want some? I’ll order a case and could split two or three ways
Some notes from another site:
https://winespies.com/sales/8320-alysian-wines-2017-dry-creek-valley-sauvignon-blanc
@kaolis Thanks for that link. They don’t mention any oakiness so I think I’m onboard for this one.
Any takers for a SoCal split? I would take 6, 4, or 3 bottles.
@davirom ill take 4 but can’t order tvis month
@losthighwayz Do we have one more taker? I am willing to order, but I don’t have free shipping.
@davirom Who would do the deed?
General location?
@rjquillin @losthighwayz As I said, I am willing to order so long as folks are willing to pay freight. Lost and I are in Whittier. Ron, how many do you want?
I have free shipping in Long Beach. I’d take 3-4.
@davirom @losthighwayz Thanks. I’m in SD; hoping you might have been further south.
Carry on…
@wildguz @losthighwayz Sounds like a 4-4-4 split. Go ahead and order wildguz. Whisper any questions
@davirom @losthighwayz @wildguz
If there’s any left I’d be in for a couple bottles!
@funnywontons @losthighwayz @wildguz I am content with the 4 bottles I committed to. If Lost or Wild wants to share, that would be up to them.
@davirom @funnywontons @losthighwayz Also plan to stay with my 4.
In for a case, any Buffalo-WNY folks interested in some?
narcissistic-harsh-nut
@catcoland Yeah, we decided to buy a case before seeing your post. It was great with dinner tonight. Tasting notes below.
Hey WD - any thoughts on how this compares style-wise to Dry Creek (my favorite SB)? I am much more inclined toward Dry Creek’s minerality style than the fruity Marlborough style.
@woopdedoo i’d be fibbing if i had that at my finger tips (or tip of the tongue). i respect both wineries alot and know there is a high degree of quality and craftsmenship when making the wines. no corners cut. Good luck with Duke, they dodged a serious bullet last game…
@Winedavid49 Dodge is right. But losing to Johnny Dawkins would have been poetic. With MSU in my backyard, it might get a bit prickly in the next round.
For what it’s worth, I’ve enjoyed Grist vineyard zinfandel for quite some time. I visited Belvedere winery back in 2002 or so and loved Bradford mountain Zin they used to sell at the winery. I believe Belvedere was sold to a pinot noir venture a few years later. In any event, I recall the zin was fruity, bold, and nice acidity without being cloying. I’ve bought a few other zins from Grist over the years and truly enjoy them. I never knew sauvignon blanc grapes were planted there. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say or why I’m rambling on. See ya!
@winedavid49 The write up states Gary Farrell as an owner of Alysian. I thought he left several years ago??
No biggie, just curious.
@winedavid49 Searching around, found this, Gary Farrell left Alysian in 2013. A little background here:
http://www.princeofpinot.com/winery/893/
I finally have a chance to deliver a report on my experience with this wine. Sorry it’s so late, but I had no idea it was coming, and only just barely caught the delivery man yesterday as he was leaving a door tag. Both bahwm and I had to be out most of the evening both yesterday and today.
Let me begin with a disclaimer: Besides being primarily a red wine drinker, I’ve never been a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc in general. However, we consider wine pretty much an essential part of our evening meal on a daily basis, and will drink both reds and whites any time of year, based on what we’re having for dinner. Tonight, hoping for a good pairing, we had some haddock filets roasted in the oven with a bread crumb and Parmesan crust, accompanied by black japonica rice and sugar snap peas.
Knowing our tendency to drink whites at too cool a temperature, and not wanting the food aromas to influence our palates before we tasted the wine, bahwm poured a bit (maybe 2 ounces), and gave it some warmup time, while I got busy with dinner prep. I gave it about 10 minutes, and it got up to about 50°F. (10°C.) before tasting it. I’d say that was just about perfect. The nose was showing some light citrus aromas (no grapefruit) and maybe a bit of melon or peach. A great start. The first sip showed more citrus, I’d say lemons and limes, and something else I still can’t identify, but it complemented the citrus. There was a nice minerality and an acidity that balanced the fruit flavors perfectly. I enjoyed the wine on its own more than I expected. Then I brought out dinner, and got a chance to see how it would fare, although with a fairly light touch on the seasonings, I didn’t anticipate any problem. With food, this wine really shone. I had cooked the rice with a splash of my limoncello added to the water, finishing it with a pat of butter, and the peas were finished with a little lemon infused olive oil, all decided before the first taste of the wine. The pairing was really quite excellent, thanks due to the winemaker more than the chef. The wine worked very nicely with each element of the meal, something I don’t always get. As it continued to warm up during dinner, it tasted just right until it got a bit too warm, and we put the chiller jacket on the bottle. I noticed an earlier reviewer had mentioned bitterness on the finish, but I didn’t get any of that, just a nice sprightly acid that made it work well on its own, as well as with the meal.
I hope this isn’t too late to help some of you decide. We already have too much wine on hand, but we’ll be getting a case before it sells out. For a wine this excellent, as WD likes to say, “this is a screaming deal,” especially at the case price.
@ddeuddeg OK, that does it.
/giphy ambiguous-negligible-stork
Ambiguous: Sure
Negligible: Not very
Stork: No way
@ddeuddeg pushed me over the edge
terrestrial-efficient-lithium
@ddeuddeg @kaolis me 2
@ddeuddeg @winedavid49 Damn nice review. NE OH gang already has a couple cases on the way, if not this would have had us sold.
The community and the fine wines coming our way are the beauty of CaseMates.
Mrs. WdD does bug me to buy her whites, and she is doing SB a lot now, so - how much trouble will I be in when another case shows up …
ddeuddeg & I had the privilege of ratting the 2017 Alysian Sauvignon Blanc Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley. We had no idea that it was coming and almost missed it! On another note, last night’s dinner would have totally clashed with this wine!
Fast forward to tonight: I pulled the wine from the fridge and realized that it was waaaayyy too cold. So, I poured each of us a glass to allow for the wine to warm up a bit. The screw cap revealed very pleasant aromas, and then, I left the room.
I returned about 15 minutes later to do the sniff test. From the glass, I got a lot of floral notes, but also some crispness, and believe it or not, some richness. On the palate, I found some lovely citrus notes, including some very toned-down grapefruit, maybe even a bit of apricot. It also exhibits a well-balanced minerality. This wine exhibited a bit of lushness, perhaps the time it spent in neutral barrels contributed to this. I consumed a goodly pour during this initial taste. It was so good and kept getting better as it warmed up. With food, it was just as good, if not better.
This is a lovely wine! I loved it on its own! I loved it with food! It is a great quaffing wine—not something that one expects from a Sauvignon Blanc!
Anyone in San Francisco / Bay area want to split some bottles?
@ponyo4 what kind of split? And where are you?/where do you want to meet up?
@DogandWine Hey there ! I’m next to USF near the Haight Ashbury area. I ordered a case so you can have any many bottles as you’d like to have. I can meet you around the area if that helps.
It’s going to be summer soon and twistoffs are perfect for the beach!
/giphy antique-enchanting-soup
/giphy bronze-cranky-icicle
Any MN split interest?
@rong185 if it’s not too late I would take 4-6 off your hands if you’re in Mpls.
Why did I read these? I don’t need more wine. In for a case.
@jenludwig You trust us! Plus, summer’s coming!
/giphy lagging-trivial-mamba
I need to replenish my whites for summer and this sounds great!
/giphy tough-competitive-change
/giphy squeamish-affordable-cockatoo
/giphy zany-grisly-verse
Any interest from the San Diego gang?