Lieu Dit Winery, Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara County, California) Sauvignon Blanc 2018

 If you like Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley such as Sancerre, I think you will like this one from Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County in southern California.  It has subtle aromas of grapefruit, lime zest, a touch of melon and lemon verbena and stony minerals.  The flavors of Meyer lemon, white peach, lime zest and melon are pure and focused and linger on the palate.  Try it with oysters on the half shell or grilled shrimp.  “Lieu Dit” from French means a named place.  For example, In the wine world Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains is a lieu dit.  The Lieu Dit Winery was created by two very busy men who met several years ago in Santa Barbara, Justin Willet and Eric Railsback.  They agreed to focus on Loire Valley grape varieties, mainly Sauvignon Blanc, along with Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and others.  Willet, who owns Tyler Winery and consults with other wineries is the winemaker.  Railsback, a sommelier, was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Sommeliers of the Year in 2014 and owns the winery Railsback Frères with his brother Lyle.