The Next Great Napa White

We briefly noted the Emmolo Wine Company in an earlier post, but we wanted to dig a bit more deeply today. The winery is located in Rutherford, the heart of the Napa Valley, within a very short distance of Honig, Frog's Leap, Beckstoffer and, of course, Caymus. You might say that Caymus is part of the extended family, as Cheryl Emmolo, the owner and founder, is the mother of Chuck Wagner, from Caymus. So you take a great location, add in an outstanding winemaking family, and the results are amazing.

A perfect pair

The Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in the 1950's, and had been included in Caymus white wines, as well as other prestigious Napa labels. Emmolo Wine Company focused their attention exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.

In an appellation most often associated with big red wines, Emmolo leads with a white. If you could bottle freshness, it would be the Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc. The personality of the River Ranch Vineyard in Rutherford is prominent in this wine. It's true to the varietal with well-integrated citrus, lemongrass, hints of passion fruit, melon, apricot and nicely woven minerality throughout. Crisp and clean, yet nicely textured.  

Sauvignon Blanc inside

After a whole cluster pressing, the Sauvignon Blanc is fermented and aged in 100% cement tanks. These tanks are unlined, allowing the wine to go through a micro-oxygenation process (meaning the wine is able to breathe as it does through a barrel.) The use of cement tanks allowed Emmolo to maintain the vibrant crisp components of Sauvignon Blanc, producing wines that taste clean. Concrete allows the wines to ferment slowly, giving the wine greater depth. The tanks also impart mineral notes in the wine due to the materials used when building the tank (sand, crushed rock and limestone). Ther tanks are chemical-free and one of the most natural vessels available in winemaking.

Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc is available for only $19.99 in the Bottle Club®.