***BOTTLING MID AUGUST, SHIPPING SHORTLY AFTER***
We’ve struck something rarer than gold.
This may be the rarest white wine we’ll acquire all year: a “winemaker’s special” gem produced from one of the most famous vineyards in the entire country.
Almost four years have passed since our last acquisition from this AVA, so here’s a quick refresher:Santa Maria Valley is one of the great cool-climate cornerstones of American wine – an east-west corridor that opens straight to the Pacific, funneling ocean fog and winds deep inland and stretching the growing season for weeks longer than just about anywhere else in California. The home of many of the state’s most celebrated and refined single-vineyard bottlings, some of the rarest plantings of all are the smattering of white Rhône varietals found amidst the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that claim the lion’s share of the ancient seabed soils. Unlike those found in warmer regions, these wines are higher-toned, energetic, and possess remarkable mineral precision. Taste and believe.
Lot 618 is a beautifully composed wine, driven by Viognier with seamless additions of Marsanne and Roussanne. Brilliant yet balanced, it’s an exceptional showcase of these grapes and the local terroir, originally crafted as a pet project by the source’s winemaker and only made possible by virtue of this estate’s unique pinch of last year’s supply and demand conditions – it’s unlikely we’ll see it again. We’re very picky about white blends (this is just our fourth offering in over 600 Lots), but we had to have this one. A $45 limited tasting-room exclusive that won’t be found even on local specialty shop shelves, our list of readers are the only other folks with access…except you get it for over 70% OFF the original label price! $13/bottle for something of this quality and rarity?! As always, we find the needle in a haystack.
Our price: $159/case DELIVERED, $13+/bottle to your door!
This is viticulture of the highest order, where epic terroir meets meticulous craftsmanship. The fruit comes from an iconic benchland site, and our source selected sunnier blocks whose grapes reached full ripeness while building the electric acidity and ocean influence found in the valley’s best offerings. Free-draining soils reduce yields and produce berries of wonderful concentration. Tended and picked by hand, each lot underwent separate fermentation in small stainless steel tanks with inputs fine-tuned for each varietal. Lees stirring imbued each with an elegant texture, and blending revealed the magic that exceeds the sum of the individual parts. Intrigue, elegance…it’s all here.
Apricot, perfumed florals, and almond slivers headline the nose with secondary notes of peach, herbs, and honeysuckle. Upon entry, a deftly balanced white awaits with baked apple, nectarine, and wet stone framed by a vibrant Meyer lemon-like acidity all showcased across superb palate weight. The finish offers a delicate uplifted spice alongside lemon and herbs, settling into resonant waves of marzipan and stone fruit before beckoning another sip. The perfect white to bridge late summer into fall.
