Reviewing Rust Ridge Sauvignon Blanc

I put this bottle of 2005 Rust Ridge Sauvignon Blanc in my Wine Queue for a couple of reasons. One was that I love Sauv Blanc and always need them around for salads and other such tough food pairings. The other main reason was that we have a Rosenblum Cellars Rust Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay, and I wanted to see how the two stack up. When I started to search for more information about the winery, I found the word order of its name interesting: Rust Ridge Ranch and Winery. Seems the grower/winemaker was a race horse trainer and even worked with a Hall of Famer who was on Seabiscuit’s team. They even call their wine club Winner’s Circle, so it’s no surprise to see horses on the label or to find they have a Racehorse Red. The winery is located in Chiles Valley, 15 minutes from the Silverado Trail.

The SB had tart citrus notes of lemon, lime, and grapefruit, along with melon, dried flowers, and freshly laid asphalt in the summer (per BK…I gave the less specific stony path). I enjoyed it with the basil pesto and caprese salads, but I don’t think I would want to drink it alone—just a little too tart for that. The wine was no longer on their website, so I couldn’t find any aging information. But I think I may lean a little in favor of the Chard we make, as it shows similar flavors and aromas: lime, Granny Smith apple, grapefruit, and crushed rock–but without quite the tartness. Perhaps because 30% is aged in oak, (you get a slight hint of butter on the nose and even less on the palate) and it adds a pleasant softness to the acidity.
*Hmmmm, I’m surprised to see on Wine Q that 20% Chardonnay was blended into the Sauvignon Blanc and the description of vanilla cream. But as you well know, taste is subjective.