These HAVE to be some of the best-quality wines coming out of the Sierra Foothills. Every one I open blows me away with its purity of varietal character, stunning balance and downright world-class quality. This one is no exception. Clear pale clear with a hint of green and barely yellow, the nose exudes hesitant fuel-oil and cellar-floor, round olive and green fig. The petrichor laces perfectly with careful doses of melon and herby floral. Meyer lemon and peach fuzz–all in tiny doses: nothing extravagant or over-whelming–the mineralific nature of the bouquet the star event.
Tasting it solidifies the pure, clean nature of this white. A tiny bit of tropical sweetness–assuredly attributable to the deliciousness of the fruit–sparkles on the tongue alongside the tingle of acid. Cool and thin, an almost too-perfect watery goodness, refreshing and stimulating, tight alpine ground-berry and delicate yellow flower-petals cruising seamlessly into a grippy middle alive with spirit and chalky religion. There is no eradicating the mouthfeel of this wine from your palate. The fruit and density of body–DESPITE its ethereal lightness–creates a forever-finish of structure-wrought white wine so impossibly perfect, so impeccably choreographed, you literally CAN’T stop reaching for another draught. Cheery and round to those not looking too hard; complicated and distinct for those seeking finesse; edgy and restrained for those seeking balance: this wine has everything.
2020 SKINNER VINEYARDS Grenache Blanc El Dorado AVA Sierra Foothills California 12.8
Stephen McConnell 