This wine is proof that persistence pays off. It has been almost six years since we first discovered the Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Manual Otero’s vineyard that we hoped would one day be ours to make a Nice Sauvignon Blanc wine. We had been in Argentina for a month, traveling from vineyard to vineyard, searching for a grower for our Nice Malbec, when we came upon Otero’s Sauvignon Blanc vines. We weren’t looking to make white wine, but when we tasted his 2008 harvest, we fell in love with an unparalleled expression of Sauvignon. Blanc: No grassiness, no screaming acidic grapefruit . . . just luscious tropical citrus flavors like tangerine, melon, and pineapple.

The only problem is that he only has one hectare (roughly 2.5 acres) of Sauvignon Blanc planted, and he was not willing to sell us any of it in 2008. If there is one thing you must know about us, when it comes to great wine, we never give up. We visited Manuel and his two daughters, Fernanda and Roxanna, at their estate in Mendoza five more times, each time asking to make wine from their Sauvignon Blanc crop (and being rejected). In our sixth visit, just before the harvest in 2010, Manuel looked us in the eye and said, “I like you guys. You are very persistent, and you have a passion for wine.  We will make Sauvignon Blanc together this year.” 

We hope you enjoy our Sauvignon Blanc. We take great care in its production: We harvest entire clusters of grapes by hand before sunrise and take them immediately to a state-of-the-art bladder press that gently extracts only the sweet juice from the grape leaving the skins, stems and seeds intact and separate. We then ferment the juice in stainless steel tanks for 45 days at 12 degrees centigrade to insure a slow, cold, and even fermentation. The result is floral aromatic notes and juicy citrus flavors that could be lost with otherwise hasty handling. This wine pairs well with ceviche, crabcakes, roasted chicken, and veal Milanese with a spritz of lemon.