Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Cellar for up to 2 years. Serve well chilled.

This zippy Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is the work of young female winemaker Jenny Wagner who has recently taken over the care of her family's Rutherford estate from her mother, Cheryl Emmolo. The family's long presence in the valley dates back to the early 1920s when Jenny's great-grandfather, Salvatore Emmolo, emigrated from Italy and began growing and selling phylloxera-resistant vines to local grapegrowers. Today Jenny makes her wines in the very same winery Salvatore built in 1934.

The grapes for her Sauvignon Blanc are sourced from the family's two vineyards and are harvested at the perfect moment to create a wine that is light, fresh and contains moderate alcohol levels. Reminiscent of a light summer shower, bright citrus and wet stone aromas leap out of the glass, while the first sip reveals a refreshing crispness, ripe melon, peach and lemon zest flavours.

Jenny insists on ageing the wine primarily in stainless steel along with a smaller proportion which is aged in used French oak barrels to produce a focused, clean expression of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Driven by minerality rather than by fruit, this lively white is an ideal partner for fresh seafood platters, creamy cheeses and milder Asian dishes.