I recently received samples of the two 2016 Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve always found Sidebar Cellars wines to be of excellent quality with fruit-centric, food-friendly personalities. Oak usage is restrained, the barrels are neutral. This allows the fruit to shine and the wines are ready-to-drink upon release.

Sidebar Cellars is, well, a sidebar for Ramey Wine. The winemaker is Lydia Cummins, who is assistant winemaker for Ramey. The varietal and regional focus differs from Ramey. Sidebar offers Sauvignon Blanc and red blends from Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, and Kerner from the famed Mokelumne Glen Vineyard in Lodi. Ramey features Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from Sonoma and Napa.

I see the shape of these Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc bottles reflecting the shape of the wines they contain. The High Valley wine is in a straight-sided Bordelais bottle and takes a narrow path in the mouth. The Ritchie Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is in a Burgundian bottle with gently sloping shoulders and a wide body, reflecting its breadth in the mouth. Both wines are delightful renditions of the variety.

2016 Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc High Valley AVA, Lake County $22 13.5% 750ml 91

This wine shows that, at 1,800 feet and  with cooling breezes coming from both the ocean and lake, High Valley wines can show moderate, or even cool, climate characteristics.

The nose is attractive, though relatively subtle for Sauvignon Blanc. I found aromas of lemon-lime and fresh, mild herb.

The palate is a different story. It’s focused, linear and quite intense with tremendously juicy citrus: lime, tart orange and grapefruit. Body is medium and there’s fine texture which adds interest. The finish is long and a mineral note becomes noticeable as the citrus subsides.

The juice, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, was fermented with indigenous yeast in a combination of stainless steel and neutral oak barrels. It aged in them, sur lie, for eight months to gain complexity and a bit of palate weight.

The 2016 Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc High Valley will be excellent as an aperitif and with ceviche, raw oysters, or guacamole and chips.

2016 Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc Ritchie Vineyard, Russian River Valley AVA $34 13.5% 750ml 93

The nose is elegant here too, with nuanced aromas of guava, kumquat and green tea. Then comes the palate. The body is just medium-plus, but the wine is very broad in the mouth. It seems to engage every square millimeter of the tongue with intense flavors of lime, guava, kumquat, grapefruit and mineral. The finish is essentially endless, not dissipating before you give into the compulsion for another sip.

2016 Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc Ritchie Vineyard will drink well on its own, but also match up beautifully with white fish (perhaps with a béarnaise sauce), roast chicken with panzanella salad, or a snack of fried green tomatoes.

The wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from 44-year old vines. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete egg (89%) and neutral oak barrels (11%) and then aged therein for eight months.

Copyright Fred Swan 2018. Images courtesy Sidebar Cellars. All rights reserved.

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