Wine of the week: Duckhorn, 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast

Despite hardships, the drought of 2021 did have an upside for some. The low yields with small berries produced fruit with a great concentration of flavors. Crafted from this potent fruit is our wine of the week winner — the Duckhorn, 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast, 14.1%, $32.

This pitch-perfect sauvignon blanc has tropical and citrus notes, layered with grapefruit, melon and a hint of pineapple. The bottling’s tangy fruit marries well with its crisp acid. It’s balanced and refreshing.

“Our sauvignon blanc is more of a traditional-style Bordeaux white,” said winemaker Renée Ary. “We utilize semillon in our blend, which adds weight and viscosity, lending to an incredibly versatile, food-friendly wine. You don’t see a lot of California sauvignon blanc blended with semillon, and I think that really sets us apart.”

Sauvignon blanc can take on a wide range of flavor profiles depending on where it’s grown and when it’s picked, Ary said.

“In cooler growing regions, you can get a much brighter, citrus-driven or even grassy flavor profile,” she said. “Warmer regions will produce a bit more depth and flavor complexity, such as tropical pineapple, melon, guava and passion fruit. The combination of a brighter acid profile paired with layers of tropical and citrus fruit makes our sauvignon blanc the perfect refreshing summertime wine.”

Ary, 46, took an unconventional path to winemaking. After earning a degree in chemistry and art from Saint Mary’s College of California in 1999, she looked for lab positions at pharmaceutical companies.

“I ended up finding a job posting for a lab technician at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville,” she said. “I got the job and fell in love with the wine industry immediately. I started just before the 1999 crush, and I remember the energy that filled the valley when harvest started. I knew right away that this was the career for me.”

In 2003, Ary became the lab supervisor at Duckhorn Vineyards in St. Helena. Over the years, she became more involved in the cellar and vineyards. Ary said she’s well-suited for winemaking because of her intuition, her sensitive palate and her education, which spanned both art and chemistry.

“Winemaking is both technical and creative, and my background is the perfect combination of the two,” she said.

As for the winning wine, Ary said the phrase “do what you love” says it all.

“We have been making sauvignon blanc since 1982, and it’s a crowd favorite, myself included,” Ary said.

The fruit that goes into the wine comes from the winery’s estate properties and select growers throughout the valley.

“We have worked with many of these growers for decades, which allows for consistency from one vintage to the next,” Ary said. “Over the last four decades, we’ve been able to master our style of sauvignon blanc. I personally love the extra detail that is required for making white wines, and sauvignon blanc in particular.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.