Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024

This cuvée comes from the Russian River Valley, in Sonoma County, California, where Pacific fog rushes in along the river every evening and cools the vines. The 2024 vintage began with a cool winter, followed by a moderate summer and cool nights that preserved the natural acidity of the grapes. A brief heat spell at the end of September allowed the coolest plots to reach ideal ripeness.

The grapes are harvested by hand in the early hours of the day in order to keep their freshness, then carefully sorted and whole-cluster pressed to avoid any bitterness. The clear, golden juice is settled then fermented and aged for 3 months in stainless-steel tanks, without oak, to preserve the aromatic purity of the grape variety.

This wine reveals notes of lime zest, honeydew melon, apricot, juniper berry, sage, white flowers, gardenia and sea salt. Citrus and yellow fruit open the bouquet, followed by a herbaceous and floral touch. The silky-textured palate rests on a subtle saline minerality and stretches into a long, fresh finish.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that boosted the California wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa region. At the start of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the California wine industry so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained producing wine. It was only from 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition and California was primarily known for the production of fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous estates were created (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc...). In 1976, a significant event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris". He sees the greatest French wines opposing the new American wines. This May 24, an unexpected result shakes the world of wine, since to everyone's surprise, it is the United States which wins. However, this competition remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Even though California largely monopolizes the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and the state of Washington offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon.