Roudon-Smith Winery

Sauvignon Blanc is a very polarizing wine for me. I love it or I hate it. Sometimes I hate, and then love, the same wine after a few sips. Kind of like my second husband. But this wine actually worked out better for me. From a vineyard in Lake County where Geyser Peak gets some of the fruit for their consistently award winning Sauvignon Blanc, this wine is really a must for spring.

It is one of the first efforts by Roudon-Smith’s new winemaker Brandon Armitage, who trained both in Oregon (Erath) and in New Zealand. His apprenticeship in Kiwi style Sauvignon Blancs certainly shows through on this wine, even though the first whiff doesn’t necessarily take you to New Zealand. It does take you someplace quite exotic, though.

This newly bottled wine initially did the tropical fruit lifesaver dance in my nose, which made me think it would be way too rich, but I was quite surprised at how racy it appeared on the palate. The nose hints of grapefruit, tropical fruits and baked pear, with traces of banana lurking in the jungle background. One sip and the flavors explode with pineapple, pears and guava on the front end: then those bananas start to samba. Suddenly, an amazingly bright acidity sails across the palate with a razor-like sharpness that cleans all traces of tropical from your mouth, leaving instead a truly lovely finish of nectarines. This is one of those Sauv Blancs I’d be happy to share with friends, and even though it doesn’t have a screwcap, it’s a perfect wine for a day at the beach.

Reviewed July 25, 2007 by Laura Ness.