The 2022 Vintage was a special year for Cervantes as they proudly present, for the first time, a white wine. The 2022 Sauvignon blanc expresses the full range of the Cervantes soil with the unique elegance of a white wine that is light in body but at the same time, has complexity, richness, character, and the relentless wilderness of the Pope Valley. Similar to Cervantes red wines, this white wine is adventurous and elegant. Named "Palomino" after the beautiful golden horses that roam the Cervantes Estate. Palominos from California are well-known for being highly spirited, having excellent temperament and unique personality. Overall, they are incredibly curious, alert, gentle, calm, versatile, social, and friendly - All the characteristics that are displayed in the 2022 Palomino.
Pope Valley, the home of Cervantes Ranch, Is known as the source for vibrant and delicious Sauvignon blanc fruit. Typically the first harvested in Napa Valley every year, these grapes produce a white wine that is full of electric energy. Clone one Sauvignon Blanc is the classic expression of this varietal in Napa Valley. Our vines, twenty-five years old, on a gentle, gravelly slope, deliver a style of wine that has a full range of aromas and flavors. Grapes are whole-cluster pressed, fermented in barrel and aged on the lees for seven months, giving the wine breadth, texture, and purity. By restricting malolactic fermentation we are able to capture the freshness and focus of the vineyard. And, by limiting the new French oak to only 25% of the barrels, we can allow the fruit to come forward, while still framing the wine with a solid structure and adding length.
This 2022 vintage, our inaugural white wine for Cervantes, shows notes of lemon peel, grapefruit, thyme, and subtle baking spices. The acidity excites the palate, then expands and lingers for minutes. It is an easy wine-delicious with food-but also a wine of substance and contemplation. This young wine is completely appealing right now and will continue to unfold and reveal more complexities as it ages in bottles for many years.
