Casa Marin Sauvignon Blanc Cipreses Vineyard 2018

One of my favorite varietals from the country is the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Cipreses Vineyard, a vineyard-designated bottling that has the grape character in a style closer to Sancerre than other regions in the world. It's pungent, sharp, quite complete, fresh and linear, with good concentration and balance. It should evolve nicely in bottle. Bravo! 25,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2017.

Maria Luz Marin and her son Felipe specialize in sauvignon blanc at their family estate in the remote coastal village of Lo Abarca. Cipreses is a steep hillside of granite and limestone facing directly west, exposed to the winds off the Pacific less than three miles away. The wine is infused with oceanic flavors, the saltiness of the air and the spiky green-herb scents of the surrounding coastal scrub. But mostly, there’s fruit: bold tropical lime and cherimoya layered in ripeness and textural complexity. Pour it with roasted razor clams, or bring a bottle to the beach, for lobsters roasted with corn and potatoes in a sand pit this summer.

This is a sauvignon blanc with weight and character with loads of gunpowder and flint undertones. Full body, velvety texture and a long and flavorful finish. Love the mouthfeel to this.

A lean, bracing style, with chalk dust, fleur de sel, thyme, white asparagus and lime notes that all extend through the bracing, lengthy finish. Very chiseled. Drink now through 2011. 2,415 cases made.