Trione River Road Ranch Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2021

A few weeks ago, I sat down to one of my hectic tasting sessions. Roughly 18 bottles of wine with the labels all covered up, corks already popped and to the side, bottles chilled and ready to go. The first few.. Meh. Nothing special. But I stopped at my fifth glass and did a double take.

What I was tasting was single vineyard Sancerre. Like the good stuff. At least that’s what I swore. I was trying to figure out what commune it might’ve come from. I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I’ve been to the Loire enough times to be able to get pretty close with a guess.

But this was one of those times, I wasn’t even on the same continent. I was bamboozled. Granted, I had asked for Sancerre so maybe I was looking for it, but this Russian River Valley Sauv Blanc that I had never before heard of, stole the show. I don’t even think we had any other winners in the group. I was that enamored.

If that special Sancerre mineral cut is why you keep coming back for more, then this is the Sauvignon Blanc for you. It’s weighty and well-balanced and offers so much nuance between the minerality, the spiciness and all the pristine fruit. Stone fruits, a hint of ginger, turmeric and citrus. A touch of salinity, a burst of minerality and the backbone to pair with anything on the table.