2017 Rudd Estate Sauvignon Blanc Mt Veeder 750 ml

Second Generation, First Growth Mentality

It took us years and years of knocking on the door of Rudd Estate to get our first allocation, and it was well worth the wait. Since its inception in 1996, founder Leslie Rudd’s winery has been guided by a First Growth mentality that has yielded stratospheric quality. Today, we’re honored to share this tiny-production 2017 Rudd Mt. Veeder Estate Sauvignon Blanc, a wine that epitomizes first-class Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc. 

At the very top of Vinous’s 2017 Napa Valley white wine ratings, the Rudd Mt. Veeder Estate keeps company with cult wines from Aubert and Kongsgaard, as well as Lail’s $155 Georgia Sauvignon Blanc. Crafted by Château Margaux- and Spottswoode-trained vintner Samantha Rudd, the wine bursts with the hallmarks of world-class Sauvignon Blanc: fresh lemon and passionfruit aromas, with lemongrass, gooseberry, and aromatic herbs. Zesty acidity gives it a refreshing, citrusy palate, with tropical fruit and mineral flavors following through the finish.

Absolutely fantastic now, this is a white wine of serious power that will get better and better with age—a Napa Valley version of a blue-chip Bordeaux blanc. If you want the crème de la crème of Napa Valley white wine, there’s no better bottle for your cellar, whether it’s for the short term or well into the future. 

Leslie Rudd passed away in 2018, and in the kind of generational succession he envisioned (and that’s getting rare in Napa Valley) he left the winery in the hands of his daughter, Samantha. She had dreamed of running the estate since age nine, and since those days, Samantha has dedicated her life to the estate’s promise: She absorbed the lessons of hard work and excellence by working alongside her father for two decades, and also trained at wineries at the apex of Bordeaux-style winemaking in Margaux and Napa Valley. 

The 2017 Rudd Mt. Veeder Estate Sauvignon Blanc puts that incomparable mix of pedigree and training on full display, side-by-side with the estate’s spectacular terroir. It hails from a unique estate vineyard site, farmed organically by Rudd’s in-house vineyard crew and situated at 1,600 feet above the Napa Valley floor on Mount Veeder. The grapes were harvested in eight separate passes over 16 days, then vinified and aged in a combination of neutral oak, concrete eggs, stainless steel, and new French oak.

The meticulous vinification and combination of aging vessels result in a Sauvignon Blanc of striking character and gorgeous texture. Vinous noted its “range of bright citrus, white orchard fruit, mint and floral character,” “terrific overall balance,” and called it “another winner.” 

White wines of this class, quality, and agebility are rare in Napa Valley, which is why the Rudd’s demand is off the charts. We’re thrilled to be able to share our allocation with you.