It’s 2024(?!) already and we’re kicking this “dry January” thing OFF properly! Dry whites! Dry rubs. Dry elbows, and dry shampoo - isn’t that how it’s done? You do it your way, but whatever your persuasion, keep some of this on hand for the wetter months this year.

These days it can be fairly easy to find a good Sauv Blanc. But a great one? Like a Didier Dagueneau, for example?

Not so easy. Or affordable. Today is the exception - a top-tier, 96-point SB that’s easy on the wallet.

The quality is hardly surprising since a pair of the most dominant winemakers are behind it.

Combine the forces of Philippe Melka (Dominus, Château Haut-Brion, Petrus, and too many more to list) and Maayan Koschitzky (Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Lail, Seavey…) and you get something very special.

We’d need all our fingers AND toes to begin counting their cult wines. As Food & Wine eloquently said “winemaker Philippe Melka couldn’t make a bad wine if he tried. He’s the wine-world equivalent of an NBA All-Star who’s won numerous Championship games, in his case, a string of 100-point scores.”

And this wine? Grieve Family makes some KILLER reds but it’s this SB that true connoisseurs just can’t get enough of. In a Tasting Report earlier this year Wine Spectator picked the previous vintage as their favorite as “the rich Double Eagle shows lanolin and honeysuckle notes” concluding that “The takeaway for white wine lovers is that this is an exciting time for California Sauvignon Blanc… There are plenty of reasons to explore these expressive, aromatic wines.”

Aged eight months in 77% concrete egg and 23% sur lie on French oak barrels, this ain’t your one trick, solo note Sauv Blanc, it’s as complex as they come. To pull from the review, “as if you are experiencing a live-action slicing of ripe pineapple with a whiff of salt water taffy.” Dripping with honeysuckle, and beeswax, riding a cloud of lemon-tinged puff pastry, and richly endowed with grapefruit, white peach, honeydew, and magnificent blossom tones. Striking minerality. Gorgeous acidity. Incredible depth and that telltale creamy texture. It checks ALL the boxes and adds some you didn’t know existed.

Pedigree. Points. Price. The trifecta is complete! You have to have this one!

96 Points – The Tasting Panel

“The celebrated winemaking team of Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky crafted a sensational wine from grapes grown on the Grieve Family’s organically farmed vineyard in Napa’s cool-climate Lovall Valley. Fermented and aged eight months in 23% French oak and 77% concrete egg, this is a limited edition white. The perfume performs as if you are experiencing a live-action slicing of ripe pineapple with a whiff of salt water taffy. A floral echo enhances waves of peach and papaya, lit up by bracing acidity and a formidable minerality. The finish of salted tangerine is memorable.”