Beaulieu Vineyard, Napa Valley (California) Sauvignon Blanc 2023

 Here we have a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc wine from the winery that made Cabernet Sauvignon a Napa Valley icon.  It is a single-variety Sauvignon Blanc and the winemaking is focused on the grape’s pure apple, pear, and Meyer lemon aromas and flavors.  There is a distinct absence of buttery flavors, occasioned by a careful yeast selection, blocking of malolactic fermentation, and conducting most of the fermentation in stainless steel barrels.  A small amount of the wine was fermented and aged in new French oak to lend complexity to the finished wine.  The wine’s silky smooth texture is courtesy of aging on the lees, the expired yeast cells.  It is delicious, very easy to drink as an aperitif, and will be a charming partner for a spring or summer salad courtesy of a screw cap closure.