Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Blanc No.5 2019

Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Blanc No.5 is the fifth release of this Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend from Napa.

Holding a white wine back for three years before release is not how Napa usually operates, and it is the most telling decision behind this bottling: over that time the Sauvignon Blanc's pungency recedes and Semillon's lemongrass and key lime pie characters step forward. The two halves grow a short distance apart, with 1962 head-trained, dry-grown Semillon at Kendall Hoxsey's Yount Mill Vineyard in Yountville and mature-vine Sauvignon Blanc at the estate's Oak Knoll site. Fog in the morning, bay breeze in the afternoon. They co-ferment naturally in barrel and spend ten months on fine lees in French oak, thirty-one per cent of it new, unstirred.

Balanced and unhurried, with lemon curd, lime leaf and a wash of toasty spice opening out towards a long, elegant close. Time in bottle has done it nothing but good. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees alongside roast chicken, crab linguine, or a well-aged Gruyère.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.