I hope you don’t think that I’m on the payroll at Trione ’cause here is another review of a super wine. At the Chronicle judges’ dinner last week we were each given a gift-wrapped bottle of a wine to take home after dinner.
That meant that between Linda and I we had scored two bottles of a wine I had yet to uncover. And then on Friday morning I ran into William Bloxsom-Carter outside the Best Western when I was packing up my car. He offered me his bottle as he couldn’t take it on the flight home to southern California.
Now I’m up to 3 bottles of a mystery gift. At home I uncovered them and saw that it was the ’06 Sauvignon and I was puzzled as we tasted the ’08 at dinner with the Triones.
I put them in the frig and we opened one the other night and it was quite nice. I said to myself I need to write this up so I put another bottle in the frig this morning so I could try a fresh bottle this evening and spend the time to taste it thoroughly.
Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Well, I am delighted. What you can experience with Sauvignon, like with Hunter Semillon, is a honeyed character, a sense of increasing complexity that overlays the fruit. I must stress the word ‘can’ as many a Sauvignon here on the home turf doesn’t evolve well after 2 years. But we know this grape can go a greater distance than just the one year dash, as evidenced by some of the bottles I’ve tasted at Reverdy in Sancerre and at Mulderbosch in Stellenbosh.
The acidity is still quite engaging, making this wine refreshing while complex. Full production notes are online at Winemaker’s Tasting Notes. Produced and bottled in Sebastopol before the new winery was finished 13.9% $16.10 at the winery. Proprietors Henry, Vic, Denise and Mark Trione. Winemaker Scot Covington. Trione Vineyards & Winery
