Santa Barbara is a winery in the Marche, on Italy's central Adriatic coast, and this is Sauvignon Blanc grown there rather than in the Loire or Marlborough. The 2023 vintage is dry, light in body, and built on high acidity, which is what keeps a ripe-tasting white like this sharp instead of soft.
- Sauvignon Blanc, 100% of the wine.
- Marche, central Italy, Adriatic side.
- 2023 vintage, dry, 12% abv.
- Light body, high acidity, low tannin.
How it tastes
Pale straw with greenish reflections. On the nose there is mature peach and sage, then red pepper and geranium, the herbal and green notes that Sauvignon Blanc carries wherever it is grown. In the mouth: citrus, green apple, white peach, a mineral streak and a herbal finish. The acidity is high and the body is light, so the fruit reads clean rather than heavy.
Where it comes from
The Marche runs down the middle of Italy between the Apennines and the Adriatic, a region better known for Verdicchio and for white wines with a salty, mineral edge. Sauvignon Blanc is a minority planting here, which is part of why it tastes different from the same grape grown further north or in the southern hemisphere.
Good to know
Sauvignon Blanc is a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, an accidental crossing in southwest France that also produced Cabernet Franc. The grape's green and herbal aromas come from compounds called methoxypyrazines, the same family found in green bell pepper.
