In 2005 we created our first vintage of Sauvignon Blanc under our Companion label, the 2005 E II Napa Valley White Wine. It was a delicious and refreshing adjunct to our two other red wines, the E II Napa Valley Red Wine and the HL Cabernet Sauvignon from our own vineyard, so we excitedly signed up for additional tonnage and a long-term contract with the vineyard owners and our Sauvignon Blanc winemaker, David DeSante.

The fruit from this vineyard is fantastic, and, like our own Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, the small production is in great demand but only available to a few producers who have contracts with the growers. Located in Yountville’s Golden Triangle, where it is cooled by the morning fog but warms more quickly than surrounding areas, the fruit ripens more thoroughly. We continue to choose a selection of three clones in almost equal proportions including Sauvignon Musque - a kissing cousin to the true Sauvignon Blanc - picking specific rows each year to reach our desired tonnage.

Winemaker David DeSante notes that “The 2007 E II Napa Valley White Wine is less tropical than the 2006 vintage – it is more flinty with green apple and pear traits highlighting the underlying mandarin orange character that is so pervasive from this wine. In its youth, there is an element of straw, reserved white peach, and mandarin blossom with green-pear notes.” As it warms up in the glass, and certainly as it matures in the bottle, the decided mandarin orange notes and slight tropical fruit flavors will develop and become more pronounced.

Upon release, the 2007 E II Napa Valley White Wine is clean and crisp with little of the typical viscosity or lusciousness that will evolve with age – more like the 2005 vintage at this stage, although with a generous mouth feel – and can be enjoyed with lighter foods such as sushi, shrimp and shellfish, tropical summer fruits and light appetizers throughout the spring and summer. As it matures, it will pair nicely with crab and richer hors d’oeuvres on a warm summer evening sitting on the deck . . .