2018 Estate Los Carneros Sauvignon Blanc - Cuvaison

Tart gooseberry, mowed lawn, Granny Smith apple. Squeezed lime, crushed stone, almost-ripe passion fruit. A delightfully crisp and zingy parade of sour kumquat, green grapes, and grapefruit zest vibrates with near-puckering yet delicious tartness complimented by inflections of elderflower, mint leaf, and matchstick. Notes of lemongrass, asparagus, and canned green beans energetically interrupt with a pronounced pyrazinic edge that dances in tune with blasts of pungent and primary floral tones. Streaks of fresh salinity and gravely minerals provide undercurrents of squeaky clean earthiness that oscillates throughout the linear and zippy attack. Exceptionally bright and youthful on the palate with palpable vitality and freshness; exhibiting textbook typicity and cool climate verve framed by both elegance and unbridled enthusiasm. Medium in body and cut with terrifically high acidity. This 2018 Estate Los Carneros Sauvignon Blanc by Cuvaison is an invigorating, racy, and refreshing white from Napa Valley. 

Although Napa inarguably shapes some of the world's richest and most opulently oaked Sauvignon Blanc, the valley's coolest corners also have the potential to create deliciously zingy and crisp interpretations of this noble French variety. This bottling, crafted by Cuvaison using Sauvignon Blanc grown at their estate in Los Carneros, showcases a classic and almost New Zealand-style take on one of the world's most well-loved white grapes. This wine immediately erupts on the palate with laser-beams of driving citrus and tart orchard fruit supported by wonderful minerality and fresh grassy notes. It is expressive and intense while remaining clean and thirst-quenching without ceasing to beautifully reflect the marine-influenced terroir of Los Carneros. Very well done.