2018 Karo-Kann Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 750 ml

The Car Ride That Led to a Legendary White Wine

It almost felt like the opening-credit sequence of one of those cheesy yet thoroughly endearing wine-country movies. We were driving up Highway 29 through Napa Valley, the windows wide open and the scents of the summertime blowing in on the breeze. Row after row of some of the most famous vineyards in America unfurled alongside us, the plump berries hanging beneath generous canopies of green leaves.

Not long after we crossed the boundary into the Rutherford AVA, winemaker Britt Nichols, who was leaning back in the passenger seat, let out a big sigh.

“See these vines?” she asked. “They’re some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in Napa. And there’s no way the producer is going to use all of that fruit.”

“Seriously?” Joe asked. Until that moment, he had been driving with all of the caution and care you’d expect of a CEO and former accountant, but as soon as Britt said it, Joe’s inner wine-geek took over. He hit the brakes a little too aggressively, fish-tailing the rear of the car. “Why not? I mean, these guys regularly score into the 90s for their Sauvignon Blanc. Shouldn’t they want to crank out as much as possible?”

“You’d think so,” Britt said, “but they don’t do that.” She let the thought hang in the air.

“Sooo…” Joe said, stretching out the word.

“So…” Britt echoed, “I think we can make our own crazy bottling from it.”

Half an hour later they were situated at their favorite outside table at Gott’s Roadside, just a little way up Highway 29 in St. Helena, and tucking into fish tacos and chop salads. By the end of lunch, Joe and Britt had more or less mapped out their plan to redefine what seriously accomplished everyday-priced Sauvignon Blanc can do.

As with all of the Karo-Kann wines, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc is the result of years of relationship-building and vision, the culmination of a long-game approach for which Britt is uniquely well-suited. Her family has been in California for generations, and the kids she played with in the sandbox have, in many cases, grown up to become the most influential winemakers and grape growers in the country.

So when Britt called her friends at that legendary estate whose Sauvignon Blanc vines nearly caused our CEO to destroy the brakes of his car, they were more than happy to hook us up with the juice they ended up not using for their own bottling.

Turns out it was some of the best Sauvignon Blanc we’d ever seen. Then again, the sustainably farmed land where it’s grown—and yes, it’s the estate vineyard of this producer whose wines regularly score well into the 90s, and whose entire portfolio causes little yelps of happiness to slip out of the mouths of ordinarily stone-faced critics—really can’t help but produce Sauvignon Blanc of character, length, energy, and depth. It’s just one of those rare places where everything seems to come together perfectly for the production of unforgettable wine.

Which this 2018 Karo Kann Sauvignon Blanc certainly is. With its subtle jasmine lift and deeply evocative notes of fennel bulb, passion fruit, lemon pith, and mineral to spare, this is a wine of so much energy and nuance that it caused our tasting team here to do a double-take during our blind assessment at the office. 

But it was. And it is. We still can’t believe it, but that’s the magic behind these wines, and behind the connections and relationships that Britt brings to the table. It’s just how she rolls: She sees some gorgeous vines one day from the passenger seat of a car, makes a phone call, and a few months later, we have what is easily one of the best Sauvignon Blanc deals we’ve offered all year.