White Wines

Gold Medal Winner and Best of its Class, this is pure deliciousness from beginning to end.

This 100% Pinot Grigio is our favorite outside white, for relaxing summer afternoons and any fun get-together - it’s no surprise that the critics agree; this 2011 Gold Medal and Best of Class winner at the North of the Gate Wine Competition, ⅔ from the Santo Giordano Vineyard and ⅓ from our Viansa Estate, has the taste of crisp California land. The Pinot Grig is best with a little intervention as possible; we ferment this varietal in 100% stainless steel tanks, eliminating any oak or vanilla to bring every bit of crisp fruity acidity from the grape to the glass.

The crispness of this Pinot Gris makes an immediate appearance in the glass, with a hint of effervescence tingling on the nose.  The bouquet of this  refreshing light white bursts of guava and green apple, showing almost every citrus fruit, with a green apple and slightly mineral finish.

These Chardonnay estate grapes were handpicked and whole-cluster pressed. After cold settling and racking off the lees, we ferment the juice in mostly French oak barrels, and age on the yeast lees for 10 months. This wine invokes immediate aromas and flavors of baked apple, lemon curd, butterscotch and toast. Its creamy and velvety texture makes it perfectly compatible with French onion soup, halibut with corn, or buttery egg noodles and Parmesan cheese.

The Italian mischief, “little rascal,” with personality and flavor straight from Italy’s northern region.

Our 100% Ceja Vineyards Arneis is all about individuality; this Piedmontese grape is not only one of the most difficult to find in the U.S., but it’s also one of the trickiest to cultivate. We see this as our little challenge as we adopt as many Piedmontese growing conditions as possible to preserve every layer of flavor in this Italian grape.  On the vine, we thin the grapes to one cluster per shoot to intensify the natural flavor; in the cellar, we press the Arneis in a long, cold soak, ensuring flavor preservation; finally, we use 100% stainless steel tanks to protect the delicacy of the Arneis flavors.  

This is, in every way, a taste of Northern Italy, a mischievous white wine with light white peach on the nose, stone fruit and gentle citrus fruits on the palate, followed by a touch of lemon and lime zest on the late palate. The finish is long and smooth, with fun lingering fruits.

Our favorite light, bright white

Our Chardonnay fruit comes from two sources, Ceja Vineyard (60%) and Santo Giordano (40%).  We choose these two vineyards for several reasons: both the Ceja Vineyard and our own Santo Giordano Vineyard grow in the cool Sonoma Carneros region, resulting in crisp, irresistible stone fruit flavor. The Ceja Vineyard, slightly further north, gives our fruit enough Sonoma sunlight to ripen fully and quickly, giving this Chardonnay just enough phenolic grip to linger on the tongue for a long-lasting finish.

This is a juicy, crisp and refreshing Chardonnay, lovely with any seafood appetizer or entree. Its nose is full of crisp golden apple and hints of citrus, followed by smooth, bright fruit on the palate and a long finish. Our winemaking team loves this Chardonnay for its ability capture the Sonoma land in the skin of the grapes, translating to a perfectly acidic white wine for our Viansa clients who love a great white.

Italian bianco with our Californian twist

Though we’d never say no to a purely Italian Pinot Grigio, we’ve taken Italy’s most popular white wine and added our Californian touch. The secret to this Riserva is 10% barrel fermentation and Chardonnay sur lie, stirred on the lees for an added layer of complexity and a touch of our favorite rich, smooth Chardonnay flavor. Less acidic than the 2010 Pinot Grigio, this Reserve is still gloriously bright, with decadent citrus on the nose and a mouthwatering palate of pear, pineapple, and guava. The finish brings just a hint of floral flavor, with lengthy, lingering smoothness.

Single Vineyard’s Taste of Sonoma Valley

The Sauvignon Blanc grape is grown all over the world and makes wines of many styles and names. Our Sauvignon Blanc is full of life. It has aromas of pink grapefruit, lime zest, passion fruit and light notes of tarragon and cilantro that are delicately wed to zesty citrus flavors. The finish is very brisk, crisp and clean.

An almost equal blend among Tocai (33%), Sauvignon Blanc (29%), and Chardonnay (29%), plus a touch of Vernaccia for the light, airy quality that invigorates the palate. This wine was made to echo an Italian table white, served in an uno litro carafe at a romantic table for two in an open air ristorante on a cool evening in June. The Tocai grape, one of the native Italian varietals scarcely grown in U.S. soil, is native to Friuli in Northern Italy, and found almost entirely there.  This uncommon fruit gives the Vino Bianco its fragrant citrus nose and slightly bitter finish; it makes a great match with Sauvignon Blanc’s savage lightness.  The Chardonnay, barrel fermented and aged and stirred sur lie for three months, neutralizes an otherwise acid-driven palate with gorgeously smooth fruit.

The resulting blend, with the touch of Vernaccia for an added layer of fresh fruit, is a wonderfully zesty, fruit-forward flavor profile with Meyer lemon, green apple, and hints of tropical fruit.

In a world where “blend” is synonymous for “all the extras thrown together,” we’ve redefined Vino Bianco. Blends, in fact, are the Italian wines, where “100%” is rarely seen on the bottle.  This is a Riserva of our hand-selected fruit, blended to perfection with precise amounts of our favorite whites, chosen based on their unique abilities: Chardonnay, for richness and a nuance of sweet oak. Pinot Grigio, for zesty citrus and ideal body. Tocai Friulano, for its lively tropical fruit. Arneis, for the final touch of white stone fruit.