Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Humanitas 2006 Sauvignon Blanc  (Monterey County)

Humanitas

2006 Sauvignon Blanc
(Monterey County)



Finally, a California Sauvignon Blanc I'm excited about — and for more than what is inside the bottle. First, Humanitas' founder, Judd Wallenbrock, makes his wines as a true labor of love — all of the profits go to various charities. And as if he weren't doing the world a ton of good with his all-profits-go-to-charity business model, the wines are delicious as well.

Take this Humanitas Sauvignon Blanc for instance. Too often, West Coast winemakers seem to treat the primary white grape of Bordeaux like they do Chardonnay — bombarding it with oak. Instead, Wallenbrock eschews oak entirely, resulting in a fresh, delicious white that features fruit instead of wood. It's not the most complex Sauvignon Blanc on the market, but it's clean, pure grapefruit and mandarin orange flavors are well balanced by acidity in a medium-bodied package. There is also an intriguing molasses note on the finish.

At $14 — and with screw cap closure — this is a terrific house white that really highlights the flavors of Monterey Sauvignon Blanc, instead of barrels. Wallenbrock is able to keep prices down by avoiding expensive oak barrels and by sourcing grapes from affordable areas of California.

Reviewed November 9, 2007 by Lenn Thompson.

 

The Wine

Winery: Humanitas
Vintage: 2006
Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Monterey County
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Price: 750ml $14.00

Review Date: 11/9/2007

The Reviewer

Lenn Thompson

Lenn Thompson writes about New York wines for Dan's Papers,
Long Island Press, Long Island Wine Gazette, Edible East End
and Hamptons.com. Two words describe his taste in wine — balance and nuance. Lenn prefers food-friendly, elegant wines to jammy, over-extracted fruit bombs and heavy-handed oak. When reviewing, Lenn tastes each wine three times — alone right after opening, with food, and again the next day — believing that 90-second reviews are unrealistic and not how the average person enjoys wine.