Ed and Adam Sbragia say they aren't trying to chase a style with their sauvignon blanc.
"We're just going after the best way to make great grapes into great wine," Ed said.
The Sbragias are the winemakers behind our wine-of-the-week winner -- the Sbragia Family Vineyards, 2012 Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc at $22.
The complex sauvignon blanc is nicely balanced and has a range of flavors. It has notes of grapefruit, lime and mineral, with great acid and a snappy finish.
Ed and Adam, respectively, are the father-and-son winemaking team. They purchased Geyserville's Lake Sonoma Winery in 2006 and converted it into the Sbragia Family Vineyards, which is open to the public.
"Adam and I get along very well," Ed said. "As time goes on, he has become an excellent winemaker. He has brought his own innovations and techniques to all aspects of winemaking. "
Adam is the fourth generation in the Sbragia line to be passionate about wine. His great-grandfather was an Italian immigrant from Tuscany who came to California during the turn of the century and gravitated to the winemaking industry. His son, Gino, ultimately owned his own vineyards near Healdsburg, growing zinfandel grapes for sale and for home winemaking.
Adam grew up riding on tractors and learning to make wine with his grandfather. He also spent time making wine with Ed, who was the lead winemaker at St. Helena's Beringer Vineyards for nearly four decades and continues to be Beringer's winemaster emeritus.
During his tenure, which has spanned 37-plus years, Ed has seen the sauvignon grape take a lot of twists and turns.
Grapes grown in the old California sprawl style of trellising produced grapes that were herbaceous and lacked balance, Ed said. Years later, barrel fermentations subdued the grassiness, but made the varietal less distinct. Today the pendulum has swung back and the current trellising system makes all the difference, he explained.
"We grow sauvignon blanc grapes better now," he said, "and the better tasting grapes make less green and more balanced, fruity wines."
Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.
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