2017 Anarchist Wine Co. White Wine Clarksburg 750 ml

After our inaugural 98-point Double Gold Anarchist Wine Co. allocation sold out in a day, we immediately set about securing the only bottles available in the country of their 2017 White—a San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition “Double Gold” Medal winner that gives white blends from around the world some serious competition. 

Nestled on the banks of the Sacramento River Delta where this wine is grown, the Clarksburg appellation has the trifecta that great winemakers seek but can’t usually find: the combination of old vines, tons of sunshine, and river breezes that gives white wine grapes the perfect climate to create ripe, balanced, effusive white wines.

We love the area because it combines those attributes—found in famed regions like Carneros, Russian River Valley, Australia’s Margaret River, and the Rhône—with a value price that deliciously flips the standard California script. Light and zippy with citrus-driven aromas and flavors of tangerine zest and fresh-cut nectarine, it’s a golden steal if ever there was one from a new member-favorite producer. 

A unique blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay, this 2017 Anarchist White provides a versatile and layered wine with floral and fruity qualities without being sweet. It’s all a result of Anarchist’s unique vineyard sites. The Clarksburg vineyards are heavily impacted by profound maritime breezes under a distinctly warm microclimate—ideal conditions for growing international white varieties, which, treated to long days under a hot California sun, are able to ripen to perfection in ways those varieties—like Gewürztraminer from France—just can’t. 

The Anarchist Wine Co. works out of a space just south of downtown Napa, and when we called them about the tiny production 2017 Anarchist White, we were shocked to be reminded of its under-the-radar appellation. Then again, Anarchist always bucks the status quo, blending uncommon varieties and tapping into regions busy marketers and corporations pass by—then providing outstanding values to the in-the-know wine lovers who are privy to their top-scoring, micro-release wines.

When we asked for a favorite pairing, the Anarchist team didn’t skip a beat: “Kumamoto oysters and shrimp cocktail!”

Sounds like our kind of weeknight respite—why wait for the weekend when the oysters are fresh daily? Alternatively, you could skip the oysters and make your best Provençal bouillabaisse for a little weeknight trip to southern France.