3 Bottles of White Wine to Enjoy During a Socially Distant Picnic in the Sun!

Name of Winery: Obsidian Ridge; Luna Vineyards; Vintone

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: Three

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc; Pinot Grigio; Chenin Blanc

Vintage: 2019; 2019; 2017

Appellation: Kelsey Bench Lake County; Napa Valley; Mendocino 

Obsidian Ridge 2019 Sauvignon Blanc - 1 Bottle

TASTING NOTES

A quiet but fulsome bouquet of orange blossom, lemon-lime citrus and candied lemon peel greets the nose, with an herbaceous nuance of marjoram. This medium-weight Sauvignon Blanc has notes of honeydew melon, Valencia orange, glycerin and a clean finish awash in wet slate. Try it as a stand-alone aperitif or as a pairing with hard cheese or shellfish.

HISTORY

The land surrounding our Obsidian Ridge vineyard has a long tradition of growing the classic Bordeaux varietals, among them Sauvignon Blanc. As inquisitive growers incessantly searching for a new challenge, we are now experimenting with this varietal. We vinified a small batch that has proved worthy of sharing.

VINTAGE

The 2019 growing season got off to a wet and cool start, but a moderate summer allowed for normal vine development and a slightly above-average sized crop. As the summer progressed, the vines made up for some of their late start. A comfortable fall allowed for longer hang time, good fruit maturity and excellent flavor development. The harvest started with a leisurely pace and quickened at the start of October. As a precaution against wildfires, our cellar was in the power company’s blackout zone, throwing the crew for a loop. But our outage was short, and proved harmless to the ongoing fermentations--it was one of the few sources of anxiety in an otherwise textbook season.

WINEMAKING

Grapes were harvested in the cool pre-dawn hours and pressed whole-cluster upon arrival at the winery. The juice was kept cold in tank throughout the fermentation process, which lasted several weeks. We bottled the wine only a few months after harvest in order to preserve the clean, bright flavors and lovely aromatics of this varietal.

Obsidian Ridge: The New Frontier for Cabernet Sauvignon. Forged in a volcano; some said this land could not be planted. We had faith in the endless potential of an old abandoned walnut orchard, 2,640 feet above sea level, high in the Mayacamas Range. We have sought higher, rockier, and farther places to grow grapes, source oak, and build wines that are complex, nuanced, and delicious. A new expression of California Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by inspiration, not recipe. If you seek new frontiers in wine, join our journey.

In our vineyard, we follow the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices and are Fish Friendly Farming certified. The Tokaj forests where our barrels are coopered have been sustainably managed since 1769 by decree of the Empress Maria Teresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, requiring selective logging and systematic replanting. In our solar powered winery, we follow traditional and natural winemaking practices. We are family and employee owned—ensuring consistency, stability and long-term generational sustainability of our sources and practices

www.obsidianridge.com

Luna Vineyards 2019 Napa Valley Estate Pinot Grigio - 1 Bottle

Luna was the first winery to plant the Italian varietal, Pinot Grigio along the Silverado Trail and we are certainly proud of our history and our estate wine.

Our vineyard is located in the southern end of Napa Valley,
known for providing excellent growing conditions for white wines.
Its proximity to the San Francisco Bay provides morning fog and cooling afternoon breezes, both beneficial in retaining Pinot Grigio’s delicate fruit and acidity.

Find more information at lunavineyards.com

Vintone 2017 Sterling Ranch Mendocino County Chenin Blanc - 1 Bottle 

Sterling Ranch is located in an eastern section of the Ukiah Valley, referred to as the Talmage bench. Planted in 1980 on well-drained and gently sloping Pinole soils at an elevation 690 feet.

Production: 220 cases

Alcohol: 11.8% by volume

Vintone aims to craft wines with a purity of expression that tell a unique story of the vineyard site and the season. Winemaker Sean Foster has been crafting wines of exceptional quality for 25 years, wines which he is very proud of. Sean has grown extremely fond of the individuality of a vineyard site in each and every vintage. This has led to the development of his own personal winemaking style, where these qualities are the focus of his wines and shared as Vintone.

vintonewines.com