Wine Savvy on December 16, 2013 0 Comments Of all the many wine varietals, I would like to safely say that Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most underappreciated. Yes, there are many who love Sauvignon Blanc and buy it on a regular basis as a sipping wine to perhaps relax on a hot day and wind down. Of course if you are sipping on a very affordable bottle, one which is chilled even more so than it should be, then your palate just might be numb enough to the cold so that you cannot really experience what you are drinking. I promise if you spend a bit more you will want to taste and really experience your Sauvignon Blanc. For instance, this one, the 2012 Flora Springs Soliloquy, Oakville Sauvignon Blanc. The people of Flora Springs make the Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc every year and I have been enjoying it every year since 2009. Is it consistently the same wine from year to year? Absolutely not! Any wine connoisseur will be ok with that and know some inconsistency, regarding wine any way is a positive thing. As each year has different weather patterns, different harvest conditions and so on, how would you be able to make a perfectly consistent wine each year without a whole lot of elaboration? The only thing this wine is consistent with is elegance. However, I am not here to give you a viticulture slash enology lesson. I am just here to talk about the wine. This Sauvignon Blanc is from Flora Springs’ Soliloquy Vineyard located in Oakville, California in the heart of the Napa Valley. They do not call it ‘Soliloquy’ for any reason. It is a blend so-to-speak, a perfect Soliloquy of two Sauvignon Blanc clones; one being the Soliloquy clone (53%) itself and the other a Musque clone (47%). All of the fruit is hand-picked. The art of the blend is enhanced throughout their fermentation process. For this Soliloquy blend and others that have come before it, they like to use a variety of methods to ferment the juice after the whole-cluster pressing. Some of it sees a bit of time in concrete with another small part in stainless steel. After a slow and careful fermentation a small percentage is aged in specially crafted oak, created especially for the Soliloquy blend. The resulting wine of all this loving and careful elaboration is one which will have you thinking differently of Sauvignon Blanc from the moment you experience its perfume and the moment it touches your lips. The aromas are full of spring bloom flowers from orange blossom to dogwood, even a hint of white ginger flower. It is a not a shy wine and opens up more with some depth and refreshing notes of yellow grapefruit and lemon curd with a touch of peaches and cream to round it all out. The palate is just as pleasing and interesting as the nose with refreshing, mouth-watering grapefruit and lime notes. Crisp pears, some tropical fruits and orange make the Soliloquy fuller on the finish with a light but noted finish of that cream you get on the nose. Your mouth will still water moments later. This might be a wine to have on standby in your home just in case after having it the first time, you crave it. It is a beautiful wine to of course, sip on its own. However, this wine has a surprising amount of affinity to go with some delicious foods. Try halibut with a rice pilaf baked in a banana leaf. It will be delicious with say, a scallop, scallion, tarragon and watermelon ceviche. Enjoy it with a winter salad of spinach with roasted root vegetables and cauliflower with toasted walnuts and lemon vinaigrette. I would even venture to say that it is just big enough to go with a lemony-thyme roasted chicken and potatoes. I am sure you get it by now. I won’t give away any more of what you will enjoy in this wine and let you see for yourself. More Wine Reviews: REVIEW: Cakebread Cellars Red Hills 2010 Zinfandel REVIEW: 2009 Bramare Cabernet Sauvignon from Viña Cobos REVIEW: 2010 De Toren Private Estate Fusion V REVIEW: San Pedro de Yacochuya Torrontés 2012
