Region: California, United States
Appellation: Napa Valley
Color/Style: White Wine
Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc

In  1968, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich went  to work for Robert Mondavi as chief enologist, making the inaugural release of “Fume Blanc”. This elegant, dry style of oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc was named “Fume Blanc” by Robert Mondavi, playing on the French word meaning smoke. At Grgich Hills Estate, Mike continued to make this elevated style of Sauvignon Blanc, paying homage to his former employer and friend.

Relying on naturally-occurring yeasts, we fermented a portion of the grapes in 900-gallon French oak casks, called foudres, with the remainder in oak barrels. We then aged the wine for six months on its lees (the spent yeast) in neutral barrels.

On the front palate, this wine opens with notes of green apple, lemon grass and snap peas, where undertones of flint and minerals begin to develop. It exhibits a mouth­ watering freshness and structure on the attack, a great complexity on the mid-palate with fresh and tangy fruit characteristics and a linear and unwavering acid structure building the frame. It  is a wine of enormous precision and minerality with a finish that evokes the crystal-clear serenity of an Alpine mountain stream on a cool summer morning.