Roman Ceremony, Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley, California 2021

Made as a tribute to the Great Bordeaux whites of yesteryear, the Roman Ceremony Sauvignon Blanc is fermented and aged in old French barriques, then allowed to naturally complete a full malolactic fermentation and develop a rounder, waxy texture in the mouth.

Sauvignon Blanc cuttings from the legendary Château d’Yquem were brought to California in 1882 by Charles Wetmore and planted in the Livermore Valley, whose gravely terroir was considered similar to that of Bordeaux. The white wine he made from it shocked France and took the Grand Prix at the 1889 Paris Exposition, causing the Marquis de Lur-Saluces of Yquem to visit Wetmore to find out how such a wine could be made in the new world.

The brothers' cuttings of this antique Sauvignon were planted at the Dairy Vineyard in Buellton, CA, whose coastal marine climate and cool nights allow for full phenolic ripeness, even when picked on the early side at 21.5 brix-- keeping the wine light and fresh but without any "green" notes sometimes found in Sauvignon Blanc.