Lail Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc 2019
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Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc has lovely aromas of lemon zest, orange blossom, pear and grapefruit. Adding further intrigue and complexity are flavors of nectarine, honeydew melon and vanilla. Exhibiting classic varietal vibrancy and zing, this is a beautiful expression of the varietal in a ripe and generous style.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This white is fermented in French oak barrels, 30% of them new, and then aged in stainless steel—offering the best of both worlds. Quenching flavors of stone fruit highlight a rounded, rich palate, dusted in dried herb and earth.
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Wine Spectator
Succulent, distinctive and wonderfully aromatic, with honeycomb, lanolin, lemon curd, dried mango, pineapple and baked yellow apple notes that leap from the glass. Spice, cardamom and matcha accents linger on the long, expressive finish.
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James Suckling
This has aromas of lime zest, guava, green pepper and a touch of cardamom and white pepper. It’s medium-bodied with bright acidity. Distinct green notes, but ripe and creamy, too. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from their estate (and some from Coombsville), the larger production 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Blueprint offers a vivid gold hue as well as juicy notes of lemon and lime fruits, medium-bodied richness, a vibrant, racy, yet textured mouthfeel, and a clean finish. Enjoy this undeniably delicious white over the coming year or so.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Blueprint was fermented in French oak barrels, 30% new, and aged in stainless steel tanks. It comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of fresh grapefruit, white peaches and green apples with a touch of dill seed. Medium-bodied, crisp, clean and refreshing, it delivers a great intensity of citrus and stone fruit flavors with a hint of chalkiness and a persistent herbal finish.
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Robin Daniel Lail’s heritage began in 1879 with the founding of Inglenook Vineyards by her great -granduncle, the iconic Captain Gustave Niebaum. By the early 1890s, this brilliant man’s obsession for achieving the pinnacle of excellence earned Inglenook wines the status of being considered by many as the finest produced in the country.
The determination to achieve excellence was carried forward through the decades following Niebaum’s death in 1908, with a crescendo in the thirty years following the repeal of Prohibition under the meticulous, passionate stewardship of John Daniel, Jr., Robin’s father. The collection of Cabernets coming from his years of ownership is still celebrated today as some of the finest red wines on earth.
Although Inglenook was sold in 1964, the passion for winemaking did not fade. Robin inherited her father’s respect for tradition. After working as the personal assistant to her mentor, Robert Mondavi, for five years, she left in 1982 to co-found Dominus Estate with Christian Moueix. The following year she co-founded Merryvale Vineyards with Bill Harlan, serving as president for a decade, before finally launching on her eponymous venture, Lail Vineyards, with her two daughters in 1995. Today her family honors his legacy with their relentless pursuit to produce wines second to none.
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.