Gamble Estates, Napa Valley (California) Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2023 ($150)

Earlier this year I highly rated the Gamble 2024 Yountville Sauvignon Blanc, but the 2023 Napa Valley Reserve version is a puzzlement to me. I seen that while it’s not uncommon to have a delicious and age-worthy Sauvignon Blanc, trying to make one that is especially complex by extensive oak treatment is usually doomed to failure, as is the case here. What works in Napa Chardonnay seldom works with Napa Sauvignon Blanc. The wine mainly tastes ponderous, with the accent on dry-woody flavors and occasional flashes of vegetal green fruit. It never completely marries, making it a difficult wine to like either sipping or at the table.
88 Roger Morris