The Coquerel Family Estate is located just north of Calistoga, and their pristine estate vineyard sits in the shadows of the Mayacamas Mountains. Their flagship varietal is Sauvignon Blanc, and I had the opportunity to taste their Le Petit Coquerel bottling for the first time recently. I was blown away, and this is a phenomenal bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from our own country!
Balancing freshness and elegance with ripeness and purity, it is California's answer to White Graves or Pessac-Leognan. That should come as no surprise, as winemaking is handled by Christine Barbe, a native of Bordeaux and the former winemaker at two of the marquee White Bordeaux estates -- Carbonnieux and La Louviere. Her skills combined with the quality of this warm and clay-soiled site are on full display here.
Highly, highly recommended by yours truly! Enjoy it on a sunny day, but if you want to get the most out of it, pair it with halibut or some spicy Thai food.
2024 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc -- Why should you buy it?
- Like a great White Bordeaux, this is pure, crisp, complex, and sophisticated. Riper and creamier notes of peach and nectarine are balanced by crisp and zippy flavors of green melon, guava, and star fruit.
- The texture is what I love the most! This sees 6 months of aging on the lees in tank, and that imbues the wine with a richer, rounder, and more luxurious mouthfeel.
- This is a low-production, single vineyard wine. Coming entirely from the family's Walnut Wash Vineyard, just 2,000 cases were produced in the wonderful 2024 vintage.
- I would happily put this up against more famous and more expensive Napa Valley Sauvignon Blancs like Duckhorn or Spottswoode, and I guarantee you it would hold its own in a blind tasting.
I don't usually get too excited about domestic Sauvignon Blanc, but this one really rang my bell. In addition to the wonderful purity of varietal character here, it also shows more complex notes of citrus zest, green herb, and spice.
