Ojai McGinley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2021
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This wine is full of energy and mouthwatering zippiness. The aromas show that gravelly minerality which we love about this wine, and there’s an evocative inner perfume that gives scents of pineapple guava, melon, and mint. You find an elegant rounded entry on the palate, full of cooling juicy melon flavor. Then the wine tightens into notes of lime, white peach, and kiwi, with a refreshing tanginess that leaves mineral echoes and pithy citrus notes.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a site in the Santa Ynez Valley, the light gold-hued 2021 Sauvignon Blanc McGinley Vineyard gives up a beautiful, clean, fruit-forward bouquet of ripe citrus, honeyed grapefruit, and peach, with just a touch of sappy herbs. It's balanced, medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, and is just one delicious, classy Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy over the coming couple of years.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2021 Ojai Vineyard McGinley Sauvignon Blanc is on point it being varietal. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of dried herbs and tart citrus. Try it with a dozen brine-fresh oysters topped with a generous squeeze of Meyer lemon. (Tasted: April 9, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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2022-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wilfred
Wong
Adam had planted a vineyard in Ojai to Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc and had begun producing wine from that fruit in 1983. When the collaboration with Clendenen ended he concentrated all his attention on The Ojai Vineyard to further explore the infinite details of his craft.
Looking back over the last 25 years, one can see the development of The Ojai Vineyard came in three distinct phases. In the beginning it was lots of fun discovering the budding Santa Barbara County, experimenting with new plantings, new areas, and a wide selection of varietals; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and other Rhone varietals. Back in 1983 the vines were grown without much care in what was called a California sprawl. It took years to get growers to move towards progressive practices like drip irrigation and vertical trellising to improved wine grape quality.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.