90% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Sémillon

Food pairings: Oysters, crab and lobster, grilled fish, herb-roasted chicken and other roast poultry, goat cheese, fresh salads, and Mediterranean dishes with a touch of garlic or spice.

Winemaking: The Reserve is made entirely from Honig estate fruit, picked in September 2023. About 39% of the blend comes from lots fermented in stainless steel tanks with up to six different yeast selections; the remaining 61% was fermented in new, specially selected French oak barrels and puncheons, and that barrel-fermented portion went through malolactic fermentation. All of it then spent eight months on the lees, the barrel-fermented wine in new French oak barrels and puncheons and the rest in previously used French oak puncheons, before the final blend was assembled in early June 2024 and bottled that July. The result is a complex and remarkably ageable Sauvignon Blanc, delicious now and through 2028 and beyond.

Vineyards and terroir: The fruit comes from select blocks of the family's sustainably farmed estate vineyard in Rutherford, in the heart of the Napa Valley, a site perfectly suited to the two Bordeaux grapes Honig grows: Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Fish Friendly Farming; cover crops, grazing sheep, raptor and songbird habitat, bee-friendly plantings and no herbicides keep it healthy, and solar panels in the vineyard and winery provide clean power.

Family and history: Louis Honig bought his Rutherford ranch in 1964 and sold its grapes to neighboring wineries, dreaming of the day he could make his own wine. After his death, his family made a few hundred cases of Louis Honig Sauvignon Blanc in the old tractor barn in 1980; it won a Gold Medal at the Orange County Fair, and Honig Vineyard & Winery was born. Grandson Michael Honig took the helm in 1984 at the age of 22 and, against the trends of the day, made Sauvignon Blanc the winery's calling card, while becoming a leading voice for sustainable winegrowing in California. Still family owned, Honig today has an all-female winemaking team led by winemaker Ashley Egelhoff, with Kristin Belair, who joined in 1998 and now directs winegrowing and sustainability, and assistant winemaker Gabi Smith.

In the pictures: Solar panels at the edge of the Honig vineyard, part of the winery's solar-powered operation; and sheep grazing between the dormant vines (photos courtesy of Honig Vineyard & Winery).