2017 Section Wines Il Bianco Santa Ynez Valley 750 ml

From One Of California’s Rising Stars

One of our favorite whites of the year from Santa Barbara comes to us by way of expert sommelier Eduardo Dingler who discovered Section Wines’ “Il Bianco” while developing wine lists for the Morimoto Restaurant Group. Dingler was mesmerized by its weighty texture and piercing aromatics, and after an introduction to the charismatic winemaker, Marco Lucchesi, it wasn’t long before Eduardo found himself over for an hours-long lunch, uncorking vintage bottles of Barolo and Brunello, enjoying a tradition of hospitality rooted in Lucchesi’s Tuscan upbringing. In the excellent  2017 vintage, Lucchesi brought a lifetime of winemaking experience to bear on this vibrant Grenache Blanc-based white, with fruit sourced from two of Santa Ynez’s oldest and most prestigious vineyards. The 2017 Il Bianco offers the richness of Chardonnay layered with Rhône-like floral notes driven by peach and mandarin blossoms, Meyer lemon peel and a refreshing acid structure. It’s a stunning under-$30 Santa Barbara white from one of the region’s rising stars. Just 155 cases produced! $24.99 per bottle with shipping included on 6.

Marco Lucchesi had his first harvest at the age of 13 in 1986. A native of Tuscany, the wine business ran in his blood, with his father established as one of the region’s top sommeliers as well as the owner of a Pisa wine shop. After absorbing the lessons of traditional Tuscan viniculture, Marco made his way to Napa, cutting his teeth at Trefethen Vineyards, Laird Family Estate, and Judd Hill, in the process falling in love with cool-climate Santa Barbara, which lauded critic Antonio Galloni has called “one of the most exciting and dynamics regions anywhere in the world.”

After starting Section Wines in 2014, Marco experimented in 2016 with blending Grenache Blanc, one of the Rhône’s most important white grapes, with a dollop of floral Arneis. The wine was an immediate hit, finding its way onto restaurant wine lists around the country, including Napa’s Morimoto after Eduardo Dingler discovered it to be the perfect pairing for shellfish. In 2017, Lucchesi set out to repeat the feat, and after dozens of attempts, struck upon this mouthwatering mix of Grenache Blanc and Arneis.

The Grenache Blanc hails from the La Presa Vineyard, first planted in 1974, resting on gentle slopes that look out over the Santa Ynez River and benefit from its cooling influence; early morning fog collects first on these slopes and burns off last. The Arneis is sourced from the Tierra Alta Vineyard, the steepest in the Ballard Canyon AVA, where limestone soils produce concentrated fruit while cropping keeps yields under 2.5 tons per acre. 2017 ushered in a brilliant growing season, offering just the right amount of daytime heat for grapes to reach phenolic ripeness, while the perfect skin-to-flesh ratio delivered a wonderfully smooth texture in the finished wines. It all adds up to one of our favorite whites of the year from Santa Barbara.