Wine of the Day, No. 902

A scintillating, Sonoma County sauvignon blanc

Bibiana Gonzalez Rave fashions primarily single-vineyard chardonnay and pinot noir from specific sites in Sonoma County AVAs for her Cattleya label. These are elegant and powerful, limited-edition wines that command appropriate prices in the $60 to $80 range. I’ll be writing about some of those wines next week.

Meanwhile, to keep the cash-flow on an even keel, I suppose, this talented winemaker produces a line of wines labeled Alma de Cattleya, made from purchased grapes. An excellent example is today’s Wine of the Day, the Alma de Cattleya Sauvignon Blanc 2025, Sonoma County.

This is 100 percent sauvignon blanc, the grapes derived from five hillside sites in Sonoma County. The grapes fermented in and the wine aged eight months in neutral French oak barrels. The color is very pale, almost ethereal; abundant aromas of fennel seed, celery leaf, jasmine, lemon, lime peel and gunflint open to hints of peach, green tea and lightly spiced pear; bright acidity forms the electric animation of this wine, which flows on the palate with crisp freshness and allure; sunny, leafy, a touch of fig, an element of nectarine and, above (or below) all a crystalline strain of limestone minerality, all well-balanced between spareness and modest lushness. 13.5% alcohol. Eminently drinkable, through 2028. We had a few glasses last night with broiled Alaskan black cod glazed with miso and mirin. Yeah, that was good overall. Production was 1,500 cases. Excellent. About $30.

A sample for review.