Macari Vineyards winemaker Kelly Urbanik Koch made one of my favorite wines of last summer, from sauvignon blanc. This wine, Macari Vineyards 2012 “No. 1” Sauvignon Blanc ($27) is a completely different animal, however. Half the fruit for this wine was skin fermented in a 500L barrel and the other half was left on the skins for one night in a stainless steel tank.

Notes of canary melon, fresh hay, white flowers, Meyer lemon and tangerine mingle on a nose that is muted right out of the fridge but opens up a bit more as it warms to room temperature. Broad and mouth-filling with noticeable tannic structure, the palate shows underripe melon and citrus flavors with a layer of hay and a bit of dried apricot on the end of a medium-long finish.

(3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)

2012, featured, macari vineyards, Review, sauvignon blanc