2023 Desire Lines Wine Co., Sauvignon Blanc, Kick Ranch, Fountaingrove AVA, Sonoma County.
If you are looking for very distinctive, limited and highly quality Sauvignon Blanc at a great price, look no further than the latest Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc from Cody Rasmussen at Desire Lines Wine Co. and enjoy a burst of cool vintage intensity. This wine is aromatic and full of beautiful tension on the palate, while also having a lovely textural quality with layers of gooseberry, grapefruit, white peach, melon, lime/lime and quince fruits, along with sour herb, guava, mineral tones, almond paste and wet stones. In 2023, Rasmussen de-stemmed a small portion of the grapes and soaked them on skins overnight, before pressing the following morning. He adds that The inclusion of this little bit in the blend, with the usual direct press wine, has pushed the citrus and tropical fruit aromatics forward and added a density and richness to the palate that really suits the racy 2023 vintage character, and I agree completely. After spending ten months on fine lees in barrel, including one new barrel from the illustrious Fassbinderei Stockinger in Austria, Cody notes, I found some really depth and complexity, not typical for this varietal in California, making this a real sleeper in the lineup, and a killer wine. I usually, sadly, miss talking about the Sauvignon Blanc, but this time it is too good not to mention and I highly recommend it, and all of Rasmussen’s collection, this is a mailing list to join, no question.
As mentioned here many times in recent years, Cody Rasmussen, who along with his wife Emily started Desire Lines Wine Co in 2016, has made this label one of the best new wineries in California, with some stellar releases, especially his Syrah and Riesling bottlings, which I really love and have reviewed often here. Rasmussen has an amazing touch with these wines and California wine enthusiasts really should get on his list, and check out his new releases. As already noted, Cody has great experience already under his belt, having been the assistant winemaker at Bedrock Wine Co and being mentored by Morgan Twain-Peterson MW, who is one of America’s great winegrowers and a Master of Wine. Desire Lines Wine Co. says that the 2023s’ stunning beauty was the result from an exceptionally wet winter that recharged drought-stressed vines, and an unusually cold growing season that kept acids high with plenty of hang-time on the vine for flavors to ripen and concentrate, all while phenolics resolved. Rasmussen explains that everything we’ve learned about California Riesling, own-rooted old-vine Carignan, and coastal mountain Sauvignon Blanc came to fruition in 2023 thanks to these historically unusual weather conditions. So, I can confirm, throughout California the 2023 wines are elevated and are not to be missed, especially the Desire Lines offerings, from the incredible Riesling bottlings to the Syrahs, these are excellent small lot wines and unreal values too. I have loved every wine here, though I absolutely have to have the Shake Rigde Syrah and the Cole Ranch Riesling every year, and the Carignan based Evangelho Red is a Favorite too.
($35 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive