Today I am back for a review of a Sauvignon Blanc that initially
appears at least to be from the Napa Valley. Doing some research on this wine cast some doubt on that however and caused me to re-discovered the fact that appearances are at times different than reality and that I believe is indeed the case with this wine. Before we get into the actual wine please allow me to first address the issue that I am bringing up, the issues of what I call "false labeling"and which could actually (and will) be the subject of another article. First off, there is no such place as Angels Landing Vineyards or Angels Landing Cellars located in the Napa Valley. Angels Landing is in reality probably a wine broker and is a label represented by the Mendocino Wine Company which is owned and operated by the Thornhill family of Ukiah, Utah which also represents many different labels of wine. The wine in this bottle says that it is "Vinted and bottled" by Great Domains & Estates which is a Beverage Alcoholic Consultant and is located in Windsor California. Here is a definition that I found while researching the word "vinted" on line. "If the bottle indicates Vinted and Bottled it means the winery on the label may have had little to do with the making of this wine." So,in reality "vinted" means nothing. Now, whether this is false advertising, a play on words or just simply the customers assumptions, you will have to be the judge of that for yourself. What I can tell you however is what I call it and I call it deceptive marketing for sure. From the research that I have done on this wine I cannot tell you where exactly the grapes for this wine are from. The bottle itself however does says the following on it's back label in big letters "2013 Napa County Sauvignon Blanc". Once again, what that means I have no idea since Napa County includes area such as Stockton, Berkeley and Ukiah, the customers assumption is Napa County means the Napa Valley and this is not true in this case. O.K there Desert Wine Guy, that's all great but how is the wine? Well, in order to find out you'll have to read the next few chapters so let's get to it.
Let's proceed with this review by telling you that I bought this wine at a national big box Wine, Beer & Liquor store for around $15. Starting off let's talk about the Bouquet of our wine. Upon first experiencing the Bouquet I picked up the moderately floral notes of Lemon Grass, Green Melon and Pear. The notes that presented themselves to my nose were while not what I would consider to be anywhere near overpowering yet were definitely well received and pronounced. In my opinion the moderate but certainly none the less noticeable Bouquet actually goes super nicely with the rest of the wonderful yet not overdone characteristics of this wine and so once again, let's get to it.
If you look at the characteristics of the varietal known as Sauvignon Blanc you will notice such descriptive words as "a nice crisp pucker.", "refreshing" or " bright". In reality the flavor of the varietal is largely dependent upon the area or climate of the world in which the vines / grapes are grown. If the climate is on the warmer side you may experience notes of peach, passion fruit and kiwi-like flavors. If on the other hand the vines are grown in cooler climates you may expect notes such as grassy herbal notes and a wine with a zesty or semi acidic finish. The reason that I tell you all this is because although this wine says "produce of U.S.A" it shows itself as a cooler climate style usually appreciated outside this country. This interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc has a zest or slight but noticeable finish of acidity as well, nothing to strong at all but yes, it is there and I loved it. On the other hand the wine also does indeed have some nice tropical fruits on the Palette such as Melon and Pear yet it also does indeed have a rather nice Lemon Grass note on the Palette as well. Our wine also exhibits herbal notes that are really noticeable and that I think went well with the Lemon Grass and the bit of acidity that the wine presented to the Palette. In actuality there was a rather dryish note to the wine as well yet there was also elements or notes of the wine that showed a climate where there was indeed some heat involved with the area that the grapes were grown. Melon was not overdone on the sweet or sugary side and it was able to shine through and make it's presence known yet it was kind of like a guest appearance, you know it was there and it definitely made it's mark on the flavor and will always remembered yet it didn't play enough of a part (sweetness) where it was the main character. But wait, there's more (what a line huh?) The wine also exhibited a Green Pepper note that wasn't shy and again and was again not overdone yet kind of came unexpectedly as well. If you think it's time to move to the conclusion of this review you would be wrong. I didn't mention the notes of stone and minerality that are boldly pushed to the front of the Palette. Along with the Grassiness note that I mention previously there is also that unmistakable note of stone. While it is unknown exactly where in America the grapes of this particular wine are grown, I would certainly say that if they are indeed grown in the Napa Valley they either had a fairly cooler year or they indeed managed to create a wine that is not typical of their climate, a rather nice accomplishment I would say. To me however, this wine leans heavily to the side of a wine made from grapes grown in a much cooler climate that the Napa Valley, again I could be wrong but either way it is not a heat influenced wine typical of a Napa Sauvignon Blanc in my book. To me this wine could pass for a Sauvignon Blanc grown in areas such as Chile or the Loire Valley rather then wine from the Napa Valley or South Africa.
The wine is not in any way what I would consider a fruit forward wine, in fact it's the complete opposite of that, it is anything but sweet and fruity. Again, this is not to say that there isn't a side of fruit or at least a hint of sugar which is presented with the Pear and Melon it's simply that these notes do not in any way dominate and fruit forward or sugary will not be your first descriptions of this wine. I would certainly describe this wine as crisp, dry, and yes, refreshing all with a nice touch of soft tropical fruit in the background.
Before I go I would like the chance to point out something. It should be obvious now that different areas of the world produce or interpret this varietal in different ways. To say that a wine from a hotter area of the U.S such as the Napa Valley of Washington State is in better generally than an example of the varietal from a place where the temperature is cooler such as Chile or the Loire Valley would be wrong. Whenever I see reviews of this varietal I never see the allowance for geographic characteristics, I simply see a number for a rating and I believe that is wrong. You can like one style over the other but remember that both are a true representation of the same varietal and should be judged on that fact. O.K so here we go. If you like the varietal on the cleaner and crisper side that I highly recommend this wine. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 92 (Excellent Highly recommended, holds to varietal standard) points, a well presented and crafted wine in my book.
The Desert Wine Guy
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