2021 Margerum, Sauvignon Blanc “Sybarite” Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley.
As noted in my recent reviews, these new releases from Margerum are very delicious offerings and this brightly fresh Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc really impresses for its purity and its burst of citrus on the lean and clean palate with lemon/lime, gooseberry and white tangy peach fruits along with saline, mineral tones, wet stones and bitter herbs, all giving this wine its personality. This zesty and briskly bone dry white is mouth watering and refreshing, perfect with soft goat cheeses and or briny sea foods, especially delicate white fish dishes. While mostly known for their Rhone style wines, Margerum’s stylish and intense Sauvignon Blanc flies under the radar, both shouldn’t be overlooked or missed, with this 2021 vintage being one of best to date, it is a year that retained loads of perky natural acidity and gave lifted aromatics with just a hint of essence of feline coming through on the nose, this is delightful, ultra pale stuff that provides lots of Summer fun in the glass. The Sybarite SB comes from multiple sites, 38% Happy Canyon Vineyard, 31% McGinley Vineyard, 18% Grassini Family Vineyard, 11% Vogelzang and 2% Two Wolves Vineyard, all within the Happy Canyon zone, providing a range of flavors and complexity here.
Santa Barbara’s Margerum Wine Co, led by Doug Margerum, a local legend in the region has turned out an excellent collection with a very desirable set of wines, from this zesty Sauvignon Blanc to their M5 Rhone Blends, along with a lovely Rosé, which I just reviewed, as well as quaffable 100% Cinsault. The Sauvignon Blanc is defiantly worth chasing down, it is one of best you’ll find on the Central Coast, following in the footsteps of Brander, a winery that specialized in Sauvignon Blanc in Santa Barbara and boosted this grape’s profile, in this region, in the late 1990s. Margerum explains that, the word SYBARITE is derived from Sybaris, an ancient Greek city, that was located in southeastern Italy and well known for the luxurious, pleasure seeking behavior of many of its inhabitants. Adding that, SYBARITES are people who have a fondness for sensuous pleasures and experiences. This wine, the winery says, is perfect to serve on its own as an aperitif and I can see that, bit it also can be very much enjoyed with picnics and lighter fare. The Sauvignon Blanc saw mainly stainless steel fermentation and aging, though about 12% of the wine saw barrel fermentation and maturing, which was done in a variety of used French barrels of different sizes, with lees contact for about 4 months that adds a textural quality and balance to this tasty stuff.
($26 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive