California’s diverse landscape is an ideal home to various grape varieties for making wine. Our latest Tasting Highlights features Golden State wines that use white varieties originating in France, including Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay as well as Rhône Valley grapes like Viognier. They all received 90 points or more on our 100-point scale, and each would be fitting on its own or as a gift to the wine fan in your life.
When Saracina Vineyards founder John Fetzer decided to sell the Mendocino winery in 2018, the Taub family, owners of wine and spirts supplier Palm Bay International, eagerly acquired it and its 100 acres of vines. Winemaker Alex MacGregor stayed on. Below, he offers a Sauvignon Blanc that taps Saracina’s estate vineyard as well as two other sites. MacGregor fermented the must in neutral oak barrels and aged the wine sur lie for four months (with bâtonnage for two months). The result is a sleek, juicy wine with pomelo, lemon and pear flavors.
This lineup also includes Dry Creek's Sauvignon Blanc Dry Creek Valley 2023, a sleek and mouthwatering white with citrus and ginger notes. Read on to get our score and full tasting note for this fantastic California white wine and six others.
Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members.
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