Easton Wines, Sierra Foothills (California) Sauvignon Blanc 2022

 Made from the 45 year-old Chatom Vineyard in Calaveras County planted to a Sauvignon Blanc clone from Château D’YQuem, this wine resembles a white Graves in many ways.  It was aged 9 months in neutral oak with extended less stirring but did not go through malolactic fermentation.  Pale straw in color with an aroma that slowly opens to combine tangerine, orange rind with flinty, stony mineral notes, it is medium-bodied and firm on the palate with a smooth, leesy texture.  It is lively in flavors with subtle lime and chalkiness and good acidity.  In an unusual style for California with its chalky, flinty character and crisp acidity in the forefront and citrus and lime in the background, this is very distinctive.  “Natoma,” meaning pure and original, is a fitting name for this style of Sauvignon Blanc.