Clementine Carter, Santa Barbara County (California) Grenache Blanc 2021

 This is a masterpiece by Sonja Magdevski in both style and flavor.  This wine is far beyond what I would expect of a Grenache Blanc.  Here’s a sample of the journey, although I highly recommend tasting this wine yourself.  The wine’s nose delivers melon and white peach balanced against floral notes.  Nothing overdone, everything says “enjoy me.”  The body is creamy but light.  Tropical notes start jumping out — kiwi and passion fruit — before you recognize the white blossom floral notes are still engaged behind everything else you’re tasting.  I believe the genius of this wine is in the winemaking choices (and exceptional, sustainable farming practices).  Sonja recognizes that skin contact can leave wine from Grenache Blanc oily and pressing the juice off the skins leaves behind valuable flavors.  Her solution is that the wine is 50% fully-carbonic allowing some of the juice access to flavonoids in the skins.  Overall, this is a memorable wine from an exceptional winemaker.