Maître de Chai "Ellison" Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Mountain, CA 2022

FROM MAÎTRE DE CHAI

THE WINE: After a long, dry winter in 2022, we saw an early bud break on the south slopes of Sonoma Mountain. Spring was mild, and a warm summer followed.

On August 27th, we picked our ninth vintage from these 53-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines. Whole-cluster pressed & fermented in neutral oak, the wine is everything you'd want from a textural California Sauvignon Blanc. Lime, Guava and crenshaw melon highlight a strong mineral backbone with bright acidity. Drink now, but as always, save a few for the cellar.

THE PRODUCER: Maître de Chai translates to keeper of the cellar, or the person responsible for the development and aging of wine. By extension, the humble cellar master is the person responsible for the management of the winery.

Established in 2012, Maître de Chai is the personal project of Marty Winters and Alex Pitts. Together we look to make wines of high quality in a way that best showcases the sense of place where the grapes are grown and the personality of the vineyard. From the ground to the bottle, the character of the wine is the focus of our endeavor. We source grapes from unique and distinct single vineyards that are impeccably farmed here in California.

As our name implies, we care for the wines in the cellar. We defer to nature, limiting our intervention. We taste and we wait, allowing the wines to develop and speak for the places in which they are rooted.