Santa Ynez Valley
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I know it is hard to conceptualize, but the weather here in southern California varies greatly from year to year. Some summers are torrentially hot while others are cool and foggy, and in the fall as the grapes ripen we can have moderate weather or weeks of fog or dry heat. The weather has a profound effect on the vines and the fruit produced, and this is why our wines can vary so much from year to year. In 2010 we had an unusually cool summer which allowed the Sauvignon Blanc at McGinley vineyard to ripen slowly and evenly, so we were able to make a wine of impeccable balance.
While I love our 2009 version, this 2010 is dramatically more subtle and perhaps a bit more elegant. It has an aroma that has hints of lemon, fig and a minerally, smoky quality that is intriguing. The flavors are spicy and the wine finishes with freshness and a textural quality or minerality that lingers in a lovely way. There is something about this wine that makes it easy to enjoy glass after glass.
Vinification:
Every year we barrel ferment and age this wine in older French oak barrels because this regime allows the wine to breath a bit and mature gracefully. We block the malo-lactic fermentation and bottle the wine after 6 or 7 months of aging.
Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc | Alc: 13.0% | Vinification: 100% Neutral French Oak | Barrel Aging: 7 Months | Total Production: 987 cases
Press Reviews
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“There is plenty of intensity in the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc McGinley. This is an especially broad-shouldered, full-bodied Sauvignon with serious depth and a layered personality that is highly appealing. Mint, sage and white peaches wrap around the finish. The personality of the year comes through loud and clear.” – JD 90 Points
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
“Very pale green-tinged yellow. Delicate aromas of citrus zest, graphite, lavender and dusty minerals. At once supple and bracing, with dense but penetrating flavors of lemon, tangerine and quinine. Very concentrated, extract-rich sauvignon with impressive palate presence. The bracing, tactile finish offers a refreshingly bitter quality and an impression of strong extract.” – JR 91 Points
