Wine of the week: Quivira, 2010 Fig Tree Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc

Hugh Chappelle decided he didn't want to wear a lab coat the rest of his life.

Chappelle is the winemaker behind our wine-of-the-week winner, the Quivira, 2010 Fig Tree Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc at $18.

A lab coat and goggles were Chappelle's uniform of sorts when he worked at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.

"Every time I looked at something else, the wine just pulled me back," Chappelle said. "It's the perfect blend of science and hands-on physical labor. I like it that we use the five senses. The sensory aspect had appeal. ... It drew me in on a very visceral level. I just dove in, head-first."

Chappelle joined Healdsburg's Quivira Vineyards in July of 2010, after working at both Lynmar Estate in Sebastopol and Flowers Vineyard & Winery in Cazadero.

As for the sauvignon blanc he crafts, Chappelle said his vision is to produce a "crisp, classic style that walks a fine line between tropical and classical, varietal grassiness."

Chappelle said he literally creates the wine in the vineyard by picking the grapes in phases at different maturity levels: "It's the most natural way to balance the wines."

His winemaking philosophy requires him to be a global citizen.

"I keep one foot firmly planted in the New World," he said, "but I also think there's a lot to learn from Sancerre and Bordeaux and the balance they achieve."

Chappelle added with a laugh: "I don't feel bad about it. The French have been doing this for a couple hundred years and we're doing pretty damn well."

A fan of sauvignon blanc, Chappelle said, "It's such a good food wine, and when it hits on all cylinders, there's something about the aromatics and zinginess, its mouth-watering flavors."

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.