The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Rogue Valley

Varietal   Sauvignon Blanc

Retail Price   $26

ABV   13.3%

Score   4 Stars/93 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, light pale straw color.

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of red grapefruit and hay with supporting notes of persimmon, lemon grass, and salt.

The palate confirms the nose delivering a tropical fruits-driven core with flavors of passion fruit, citrus zest, meringue, and slate. The finish is long and lingering.

Medium-bodied and ideally balanced with a creamy yet vibrant texture.

Cool Factor

Many Sauvignon Blancs get categorized as a California style, or French, or New Zealand while this lovely SB flaunts a style all its own and we love it.

Value Grade

You would be hard-pressed to find a better American-made Sauvignon Blanc for the asking price — fewer than 250 cases were made.

Analysis

Padigan is the new moniker for what was 2Hawk Wines. It’s the same people and the same great vineyards only the name has changed. We first tasted the 2Hawk Sauvignon Blanc three years ago and we were thrilled by the quality of fruit and the careful, minimalist hand of the winemaker. The 2022 growing season had its challenges but in the end the Sauvignon Blanc was harvested with good balance albeit two weeks later than usual. The fruit was whole cluster pressed as normal, but this year they foot trod a portion and let it soak on the skins to get more tropical fruit aroma and flavor while taming some of the citrus notes. After the juice settled, half of the juice was sent to stainless steel tanks while the other half went to neutral oak barrels to ferment. The barrel wine was stirred to encourage a creamy texture given by the lees that would later be balanced by the stainless wine. The resulting wine is a perfect balance of styles and absolutely delicious.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled but not too cold as this will mute the subtle aromatics and flavors found in this wine. Serve with grilled fowl or fresh yellow curry.