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What We Say 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes even better than that, as is the case with today’s wine from Trecini Cellars of Sonoma.
Mission Codename: Live and Let Live
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Find a great white wine to pair with Asian food
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Trecini Cellars
Wine Subject: 2007 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Winemaker: Dan Barwick
Backgrounder:
Sauvignon Blanc originally hails from the Loire Valley in France, but has found new homes in other parts of France (Bordeaux, where it is blended with Sauternes); New Zealand, and specifically the Marlborough region as well as California. It is generally dry and crisp with flavors of apples, pears and tropical fruit and tends to have bright acidity that lends itself well to pairing with spicy foods.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Pale straw yellow, almost clear with a springy surface and excellent clarity.
Smell – Clean, bright and youthful with scents of tart Granny Smith apples, tropical fruits and a pleasant yeasty component.
Feel – Smooth and crisp that is moderately dry, but evolves with a creamy mouthfeel as it hits the back of the palate.
Taste – Well balanced with medium intensity tart apples, a mild honey component, a very nice grapefruit citrus flavor that lends to the acidity and a slight yeasty flavor that is tied to the creamy mouthfeel described above.
Finish – Clean, crisp, long and dry with a citrus zest and lingering flavors of tropical fruits, honey and the creamy yeast component.
Conclusion – A very pleasant Sauvignon Blanc, especially for the price. This wine will pair well with a variety of foods and is absolutely perfect for the upcoming BBQ season. The bright acidity and balanced flavors also lend itself very well to spicy Asian foods, aged and goat milk cheeses.
Mission Report:
Having spent nearly a month overseas in Asia on a top secret missions I was definitely craving some good ol’ home-style food and wine. Sake and Soju is nice but, when compared with some of the fine wines we have here in California, there is no contest.
At first I was craving the basics, a simple cheeseburger, but when I ventured back into the kitchen I found myself highly influenced by my Asian experience. Everything I cooked I enhanced with far-east preparation and spices. But what wine to complement my latest kitchen creations? I was preparing fresh snapper, tofu and other veggies on skewers, flash fried in a spiced panko with some amazing red miso paste, sea salt and soy sauce.
Just before I left, I was lucky enough to receive a small ‘care package’ from Cathy Vicini of Trecini Cellars, one of our favorite wineries in the Sonoma County region and remembering that she included a bottle of the latest 2007 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc I began to get excited. This was going to be good!
I popped open the bottle as I was cooking and nearly finished it before dinner was done. I was noshing on some great goat cheese as I cooked (OK – I know it doesn’t go with the food I was cooking – but what the hey?) Perhaps I’m a lush, or more truthfully, the wine was that good. As I sipped this great wine (and a great value to boot) I kept thinking how the flavors, acidity, texture was so perfect. I was thoroughly enjoying the moment…
Its always nice travelling, but its even better coming home, especially to a care package of great wine from Trecini Cellars. Thanks Cathy, you definitely made my night!
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Trecini Cellars’ Vicini Vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Trecini Cellars
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About This Wine:
Sauvignon Blanc is perhaps the optimal white wine for food. This exceptional wine is a must for fish, an absolute with fresh oysters, enhances fresh fruit salad, parties with charcuterie, and is your good fortune when paired with spicy Asian or Thai cuisine. This exceptional Sauvignon Blanc is pale straw in color with an amazing array of aromas that baskets full of fresh ripe apples, grapefruits, pineapples and dried tropical fruits touched with subtle tones of freshly cut hay and fragrant herbs. The vibrant clean acidity of this wine enhances the long mouth watering finish.
About Our Winery:
From the historical town of Jera, in Tuscany, Italy, John Vicini brought with him the passion and love of wine that were handed from one generation to another for over 150 years. Now living and working with Cathy, his wife, and David, their son, they bring to you exceptional wines from the gently rolling vineyard covered hills of Sonoma County, the Russian River, and the Dry Creek Valley. Starting in 1994, John and Cathy grew and sold their own premium Russian River grapes. In 1999 they expanded their family’s business to developing and introducing their own label Trecini, representing the three Vicinis (John, Cathy, and David). With the help of David, Trecini has grown from a premium grape grower to a premium wine company offering five award winning varietals, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Merlot, Merlot Rosé, and a Zinfandel.
Meet our Winemaker
Dan Barwick
In 1981, Dan Barwick, a native of England, took his first wine job in the wine department of Harrods in London. “That’s where a wine germ settled and stayed in my head until I was ready to discover more,” says Barwick. After a short stint in wholesale wine sales, Barwick hopscotched around the wine world for nine years, first a Matanzas Creek Winery in Sonoma’s Bennett Valley, then Ferrai-Carano, over a Burgundy and then Stellenbosch and the Barossa Valley, before coming back to Sonoma County and Martin Ray Winery, and finally Paadise Ridge where he started working with Trecini Cellars. SInce 1999, Dan has made seven consecutive vintages of Trecini Cellars and looks forward to introducing new, creative, and extremely favorful wines.
Our Family
John Vicini, Proprietor, Wine Making
John’s fondest memory is at age 6, walking with his grandfather through the plush fields of vines in Tuscany, Italy, as he listened to the story about how the grapes were grown and how to take care of them. He grew up watching the village men make wine and listened to the stories on Sunday in the plaza about who could make wine better than the other. Everyone had their own secret method. John learned early on that the method used was the secret to making a wine distinctive from the other wines. He brought this secret with him to the United Sates when he came here at age 29. After 27 years as a proprietor of one of the finest Italian restaurants in Santa Rosa, California, John retired and was finally able to start his own vineyard, and begin his dream to make his own wine with his wife Cathleen, and their son David.
Cathy Vicini, _Proprietor, Finances_
Cathy is the glue. Not only does she help couples and families out while working as a Family and Child Therapist, Cathy helps keep John and David in-line. When not helping families, she is helping her own family by managing the office, maintaining customer satisfaction, as well as ordering and shipping the wine. Just for fun, and to get out of the office, she loves to pour at various wine events to meet everyone. You can always recognize Cathy by her Trecini grape appliquéd shirt.
David Vicini, Proprietor, Business and Socializing
David is our all around guy. Pretty much anything we think of or have to do, he does. Good times. All in all, he’s just happy to be here. From web design, tastings, shows, managing sales, etc.. etc… he is involved with it all. If you see him don’t be afraid and say hello, its his job to be nice to everyone and engage in all forms of communication. He may even offer you a glass of one of the award winning wines from Trecini Cellars.
Technical Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.2%
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Bottling Date: February 20, 2007
Oak: 80% Stainless Steel, 20% Neutral Oak
Varietal Notes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Year: 2007
