95% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon

Food pairings: Oysters with a cucumber and Meyer lemon mignonette, lime-garlic broiled shrimp, petrale sole with lemon and capers, steamed clams or linguine alle vongole, lemon risotto, artichokes and fava beans with a tangy aioli, and goat cheese.

Scores:

• 95 points, James Suckling (Ryan Montgomery)

Winemaking: The wine is made in small lots and fermented in a thoughtful mix of vessels: small stainless steel barrels, French oak barrels, an amphora, a ceramic cuve and two concrete cuves. The blend draws on Sauvignon Blanc clones 1 and 6, Sauvignon Musqué and Sémillon. After a notably wet winter, budbreak began on April 2. Spring stayed mostly dry and the season settled into ideal moderate temperatures, reminiscent of classic Napa Valley vintages, and the evenly ripening clusters were picked in a calm, unforced rhythm from August 21 through mid-September. The cooler vintage gave beautiful florals and a fresh, elegant, cellar-worthy wine.

Vineyards and terroir: The 2025 is the first Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc made entirely from organic vineyards. 28% of the fruit comes from Napa County and 72% from Sonoma County, from the Spottswoode Estate in St. Helena and from renowned family-owned vineyards: Heitz Brothers and Tofanelli in Calistoga, Hyde Vineyards in Carneros, Bedrock and Lasseter Family in Glen Ellen, Farina and Murray on Sonoma Mountain, and Pelkan in Knights Valley. The estate itself lies on the western edge of St. Helena at the apex of the Sulphur Creek fan, where sandy clay loam soils drain superbly and maritime breezes through the gap between the Mayacamas Range and Spring Mountain temper the sun. Spottswoode was among the first in the Napa Valley to farm organically, in 1985, and has been certified organic by CCOF since 1992.

Family and history: The estate was established in 1882 by George Schonewald, whose Victorian home is pictured on the label, and was named by Mrs. Albert Spotts, whose family owned it from 1910. In 1972 Mary Weber Novak and her husband, Dr. Jack Novak, bought the property, restored the house and replanted the pre-Prohibition vineyard. After Jack died unexpectedly in 1977, Mary carried on their shared dream: the first Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon came in 1982, exactly one hundred years after the estate's founding, and the Sauvignon Blanc followed in 1984. The estate is still family owned and led by Mary's daughter Beth Novak, President and CEO. Aron Weinkauf, who joined as assistant winemaker in 2006, is today both winemaker and vineyard manager.

In the pictures: Winemaker and vineyard manager Aron Weinkauf; the ivy-covered entrance gate to the estate and its Victorian house; and the estate vineyard with its tall Canary Island palms (photos courtesy of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery).