Kingsford Manor Winery Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2008


Kingsford Manor is famous for boutique, small production, delicious wines from Napa Valley.
Enjoy this crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc Reserve with a variety of dishes including chicken and seafood.


By Jonathan H. Newman*
Rating: 92
This spectacular Reserve Sauvignon Blanc from Napa’s Kingsford Manor  is a special wine. Expressive aromas of pink grapefruit and peaches. Very crisp and refreshing with a delicious mouth feel with beautiful vibrant fruit including ruby grapefruit, pear, lemon zest and mango. It will pair nicely with  fish, raw seafood, chicken or as an aperitif. Only 800 cases produced.

WINERY NOTES: The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is focused and intense. Starting with ruby grapefruit, nectarine and a shaded aromatic minerality. The palate is bright with lime juice, honeydew melon and pineapple. A refreshing acidity keeps all of the extraordinary flavors light on their feet, very juicy and a finish that goes on forever.
The 2008 vintage in Northern California began with a second dry winter in a row after two relatively wet
years in 2005 and 2006. Dry and mild weather in February and March pushed the grapevines to an
earlier than usual bud-break. By early April most grapevines had green shoots from 6 to 10 inches in length. The week of April 13th will be one that few growers will soon forget in California: a frozen freight train hit the state with the worst frost event in over three decades.
Luckily, the remainder of the 2008 growing season shaped up to be a very good year. In early August
temperatures climbed toward 100 degrees and the Sauvignon Blanc began to ripen about two weeks ahead of schedule. On August 13th we harvested our first load of Sauvignon Blanc..Interestingly, our first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were the ripest of the vintage at 24 brix.
The overall Sauvignon Blanc harvest picked steadily over the next 2 ½ weeks, averaged a
more modest and agreeable 22.8 brix. One can usually tell how the vintage is shaping up as the
fermentations wind down in September and October. In a nutshell, this wine is crisp and bright with
tightly-focused citrus fruits accented by a little minerality.

 

*Jonathan Newman served as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (“PLCB”), the largest buyer of wine and spirits in the U.S., and the largest purchaser of California wines in the world. Jonathan was Wine Enthusiast’s Man of The Year (2003) and received the American Wine Society’s Award of Merit (2004).  In 2005, he was awarded the Guild of Sommeliers highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. He was also named by Market Watch Magazine as one of the Top Five Leaders in the alcoholic beverage industry (2005). In 2006, he was elected as Chairman-elect of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.