Sauvignon blanc serenades Lake County, and the tune is welcome — perhaps even a bit familiar.
You know how it goes: a chorus of stone fruit, a tropical solo and a humble bass line of flinty minerality. The grapes find voice in sunshine and volcanic slopes and the applause that follows pleads for an encore.
Of course, it is also difficult to stray from a signature hit. Aficionados appreciate and expect the bracing acidity, the sweet freshness and the delicate tremor of summer meadow common to the varietal.
But winemaking is artistry. Yes, much of the character is drawn from soil and season. However, the decisions that lead up to bottling — selecting from vineyards, employing steel, wood or concrete, and so on — define a wine.
On occasion, the vintner manages to coax a burst of sound, an unexpected flair, from a well tried varietal.
Such is the case with Six Sigma’s 2015 sauvignon blanc. Then winemaker Matt Hughes and his crew selected grapes from three different vineyards on the Lower Lake property, picking some early while allowing others to ripen. They fermented in stainless at a cool temperature to preserve the bright fruits, yet held some of the juice back.
This small amount — 2 to 3 percent of the wine — rested in neutral French oak barrels.
The result is a wonderful descant. Peaches nuzzle in a ceramic bowl of cream. Green hay tosses in the breeze. Peeled green apples rest on a wooden counter, awaiting a splash of vanilla before nestling into a pie crust. Beyond this sylvan impression, however, beckon tropical dreams — hints of kiwi, guava, baked pineapple and sliced passion fruit issue a siren call.
And all of this is just on the nose.
The wine is spritely and fresh when sipped. It steps gingerly at first, with tart apple and bright tropical fruits. And the flavors build, the brisk bite of kiwi counters the calm notion of stonefruits. And there’s something more — an enigmatic and elusive cymbal tap, perhaps of paw paw.
Drifting along under the keen tropical current are desultory petals from a blossoming meadow. Hints of grassy herbs flit here and there, almost obscuring an obsidian beat.
It’s a remarkably measured wine — bright and crisp, but with a grounded, rustic quality. On the finish the fruits wane and a more relaxed, unhurried note lingers. It eases in, offering peaches and cream alongside vanilla scented scones.
The languid finish soothes the brisk peal of fruit — a wonderful touch.
Yes, great sauvignon blancs play everywhere in Lake County. But Six Sigma’s 2015 deserves a little longer ovation.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
