Sauvignon Republic Cellars
2004 Russian River Valley
Sauvignon Blanc, about $18
(Sauvignon Republic Cellars, Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Some vintners specialize in wines from a certain place. Others make a little bit of everything they can in hopes of having something for everyone.
Sauvignon Republic Cellars, however, takes a novel approach: The company concentrates exclusively on sauvignon blanc, bottling wines from great sauvignon-growing regions around the world. It’s a collaboration between two wine guys – John Buechsenstein, former winemaker for Napa’s Fife Vineyards, and Paul Dolan, former president of Fetzer Vineyards – and two restaurateurs, John Ash of John Ash & Co. in Sonoma and Tom Meyer of the Q Shack restaurant chain. The accent is on clear, clean flavors – all the better to perceive the particular flavors of sauvignon grown in different places, not to mention to enjoy with food.
At the moment, SRC has released this smooth, guava-rich, lemony sauvignon from California’s cool Russian River Valley, as well as an example from New Zealand. In the future, look for SRC sauvignon blanc from South Africa, Chile, Austria and Sancerre in France’s Loire Valley. And, in another smart move, all will be sealed with screw-caps.
-Tara Q. Thomas
