Driscoll Wine Co Tilth Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Aromatics of stone fruit, honeysuckle, and elderflower fill the glass. The palate supports the nose with lifted acidity, focused minerality, and a succulent mouth-feel that is a result of barrel age.
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Wine Enthusiast
Floral and fleshy, this white wine is appealing in exotic layers of lychee, green apple and peach, seemingly conflicting flavors that instead complement and overlap. Softly textured, it is nicely balanced in acidity.
Other Vintages
2018-
Wilfred
Wong
Chef-turned-winemaker, Jason Driscoll, makes terroir driven wines from unique vineyards throughout Northern California. Driscoll seeks to highlight older vines, forgotten regions, and food-friendly styles at everyday prices.
Jason and Hilary Driscoll met in Washington State and discovered their love of wine through Jason’s work as a chef and their determination to find the perfect wine pairings. What was supposed to be a brief once-in-a-lifetime harvest opportunity in between kitchens, turned into a passion and full-time job as Jason worked his way up through the cellars at Hunnicut Wines before becoming the Assistant Winemaker for David and Katharine DeSante of DeSante Wines. “DeSante University” immersed him both in the vineyards and the cellar. He learned everything from pruning to pump-building. Jason was exposed to lesser known vineyards, both old and new, that produced spectacular fruit. Inspired by the quality wines these vineyards produced, Hilary and Jason conceived Tilth Wines.
Tilth, which refers to soil health, encapsulates the Driscoll’s approach to exploring California’s treasury of soils. Working with individual growers that he has developed relationships with, Jason focuses on authenticity and makes wines that are unique every vintage.
While pursuing a career as a Chef and cooking in kitchens throughout Seattle and Napa Valley, Jason found a home as a cellar hand in the caves of Hunnicutt Wines in Saint Helena, California.
Jason worked as a cellar hand for two years at Hunnicutt Wines. After living a nomadic existence for the three years following college, Hilary was ready to set roots in a town similar to the one she grew up in Idaho. As a new mother in 2011, the time was more important than ever to take the leap of faith and fully commit to making Saint Helena the home of the Driscoll family.
When DWC started, Jason was stretched thin with a full-time job working for another winery. Hilary threw herself into the business to keep it alive. Making wine was the easy part; things like accounting, compliance and sales, are the hardest part. She immersed herself in books about accounting and the wine business in general to help out in any way she could. Now, as a mother of two (J and Ellie), Hilary runs the books for DWC and also hits the road whenever she can to spread the word about the wines they so passionately make.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.