Spottswoode, Sonoma and Napa Countries (California) Sauvignon Blanc 2017

 I tasted this wine alongside the 2017 from Merry Edwards, which offered an illuminating look at two of the top 10 Sauvignon Blancs from the USA (if not the top 5, or even top 2).  Both earned the same score, on the strength of entirely different virtues.  This is packed with varietal character, which is actually unusual for a California Sauvignon Blanc, as this category usually tastes a lot more like California than Sauvignon.  The aromas feature scents of cut grass and dried herbs (but no vegetal notes), and the flavors are strikingly zesty and crisp for a medium-bodied wine, with citrus fruit in the forefront.  Although nobody could mistake this for anything but Sauvignon Blanc, it is anything but an obvious wine, and every successive sniff and sip reveals another nuance.