2022 Spottswoode Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Napa-Sonoma Counties 750 ml

Since its founding in 1982, exactly a century after the estate itself was established, Spottswoode has become an icon of Napa Valley.

They’ve boasted a parade of legendary winemakers: Tony Soter, Pam Starr, Rosemary Cakebread, and Jen Williams. In 2011, 100-point winemaker Aron Weinkauf took the reins, and Spottswoode is making the greatest wines in their history—which is no small feat.

Elegance has always been a hallmark of the wines at Spottswoode—both on the Cabernet side and also with their sought-after white wine, which is one of the iconic Sauvignon Blancs of California. Robert Parker said their Sauvignon Blanc was consistently “one of California's finest,” and the 2022 is one of the best ever.

The product of a growing season that saw plenty of warmth over the course of the summer and fall, the 2022 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc was grown from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma that Aron has carefully sourced to bring richness and power, bright acidity, and vibrant clarity of fruit.

To build in additional complexity, Weinkauf ferments and ages the Sauvignon Blanc in a mixture of all sorts of vessels. Stainless steel barrels build texture from lees contact while preserving fresh fruit, while French oak adds richness. Aron also uses a mixture of clay amphorae and concrete tanks, which allow some oxygen permeability—drawing out minerality and softening the wine—without oak flavors.

Together, this collection of brushstrokes adds up to a cohesive portrait of greatness—one that Decanter recently featured as one of a handful of California Sauvignon Blancs to which we should pay close attention.