There's a new California Sauvignon Blanc that is leading the pack, and it is Honig's Reseve that Jeb Dunnuck described as being "on another level." The 2019 version of this wine scored 94 points, out-performing notables such as Groth, Duckhorn, and Merry Edwards and costing less than all three of those.
It's interesting to note that of all of the 2019 California Sauvignon Blancs Dunnuck rated, and he reviewed 150 of them, only 3 of them scored higher than Honig. This is a very special bottle of wine from one of Napa's original Sauvignon Blanc specialists, and we are offering it up at one of the best prices in the country. Oh yeah, we bought our distributor's remaining inventory, and they will not be making a 2020 Reserve. Get some before it's gone!
2019 Honig Rutherford Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
94 points Jeb Dunnuck | Out-scored Merry Edwards, Groth, and Duckhorn and costs substantially less!
ORDER NOW in our online store.
The Honig Family bought vineyards in the Rutherford district of the Napa Valley back in 1964. For the next 16 years, they just grew really good grapes and sold them to top producers throughout the valley. It wasn't until 1980 that they released their first estate-grown wine, and it was a Sauvignon Blanc. Today, they continue to focus on and produce some of the finest Sauvignon Blancs in North America. This is perhaps the finest they've ever produced.
Their regular Sauvignon Blanc is quite charming, and we stock that too, but their Reserve bottling is really one of a kind. A blend of 95% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Semillon, and 1% Muscat, all of the grapes come from Honig's estate vineyard in the heart of Rutherford. The Honig's make a careful selection of only their best and oldest vine parcels to go into this wine. Some of the fruit is fermented and aged on its lees in stainless steel, while some is fermented and aged in new and used French oak.
The resulting wine is magnificent and a prime example of Honig's mastery of Sauvignon Blanc. Highly aromatic and smelling of honeysuckle, mango, peach, and Meyer lemon, the palate is full-bodied, fleshy, and incredibly exotic. The extraordinary balance between fruit and oak creates a creamy, rich mid-palate that finishes with a core of lemon curd and a hint of spicy vanilla.
In case you need another opinion, here's what Jeb Dunnuck had to say. "On another level, the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve is a brilliant Sauvignon that does everything right. Serious notes of candied lemons, crushed stone, white flowers, and honeyed white grapefruit give way to a medium-bodied white with good concentration, a bright spine of acidity, perfect balance, and a great finish."
When Sarah, Martha, and I tasted this together, we all looked at each other with amazement in our eyes and simultaneously said SCALLOPS! I'm not kidding, and I stand behind that statement. This wine wants the best scallops you can find, seared to perfection, and finished with a lemon-butter sauce. Getting hungry and thirsty? Me too!
ORDER NOW in our online store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville