Lail Georgia Sauvignon Blanc 2016
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Winemaker Notes
2016 in Napa Valley provided perfect growing conditions for the Sauvignon Grape, and the Georgia brilliantly reflects this. Its aromatics explode with jasmine, white truffle, pear, white peach and brioche, with intense flavors adding melon, nectarine and tangerine. The texture is creamy and rich, with a lingering finish that goes on for minutes. This is classic Georgia and simply has it all!
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Georgia Sauvignon Blanc comes 100% from Totem Vineyard in Yountville and is fermented and aged 18 months in 100% new French oak. It leaps from the glass with notions of ripe peaches, fresh pears, pineapple and guava with touches of chalk dust, white pepper, dill seed and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it completely coats the palate with tropical fruits and spicy layers, lifted with a zippy line of acidity and finishing long and minerally. Give it another year or two in bottle and drink it over the next 8-10 years. 350 cases produced, to be released in July 2019.
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James Suckling
Exciting and dense white with lemon-zest and dried-pineapple character. Peaches, limes and fennel, too. Full and flavorful. Dried fruit comes through. Finishes minerally, salty and dry. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Georgia is another Bordeaux Blanc look-alike and reminds me of a white from the likes of Smith Haut Lafitte in the Graves region of Bordeaux. Fermented all in new French oak, this powerful, concentrated effort boasts a vivid gold color, notes of lemon curd, spiced melon, and tart pineapple, medium to full body, bright acidity, and a layered, concentrated, rich texture that develops beautifully with time in the glass. Don’t miss it.
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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 Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.