2018 “August White” - Folded Hills

Squeezed lime, fresh honeysuckle, sliced white peach. Green mango, sea salt, pink grapefruit. Meyer lemon, honeydew, and green apple flesh highlight a pleasantly tart and pure-fruited attack bursting with fragrant aromas of jasmine, plumeria, and lighthearted florals. Notes of crushed stones, beach sand, and fresh salinity briskly emerge to impart a complicating earthy edge that cuts through richer impressions of honeycomb and lanolin. Subtle hints of fresh sage and lemongrass unite with vanilla and white pepper to reveal mild herbal and spiced nuances that further contribute to the delicate yet expressive display. Juicy, lively, and bright with a surprisingly unctuous and textured palate that fades into a long mineral finish. Well balanced with moderate acidity filling out its medium bodied frame. This 2018 "August White" by Folded Hills is a thirst-quenching and delicious white blend from the Santa Ynez Valley.

While white blends have long been a staple in Southern France's Rhone Valley and surrounding regions, California has only in the last few decades begun to perfect the harmony of these intricate and interesting fusions. This bottling, crafted by Folded Hills using 68% Grenache Blanc/32% Roussanne sourced from within Santa Barbara's Santa Ynez Valley, is an excellent example of a well executed California Rhone-style white blend. While it possesses some of the textural richness and opulence associated with white Rhone varieties this wine's backbone of Grenache Blanc keeps it terrifically fresh and vibrant. Its unique minerality is quite notable and provides clean and refreshing undercurrent to combat bright and sunny fruit. This is a wonderfully refreshing lightly-oaked white perfect for the upcoming warm summer months.