by Fred McMillin for July 29, 1997 Goodbye Grass Prologue: The flavor of Sauvignon Blanc can range from fruit [gooseberries] to celery to freshly-cut grass. Increasing the exposure of the grapes to sunlight increases the fruit and reduces tbe grassiness. —Dr. Marion Baldy, "The University Wine Course" The Rest of the Story: So, one needs quite a bit of sunshine to make a grassless Sauvignon Blanc. Then how does the Davis Bynum Winery make such a good one in the foggy, cool Russian River Valley? Davis' son Hampton tells me they use special trellises that "open up the inside of the vines to light, yielding grapes that temper the grassy aspect of cool-region Sauvignon Blanc," Is it working? Well, Hampton says their 1996 is the best Blanc they've ever made. My tasters were very impressed with the unusual intensity of varietal flavors, not masked by oak, lees stirring, etc. If you want to learn more about the Blanc, buy a bottle. 1996 Sauvignon Blanc, Shone Farm, Russian River Valley Davis Bynum Winery Healdsburg, Sonoma County, CA Food Affinities—Fish or chicken with an herb sauce Phone—(707)433-5852 $10.50 Postscript—The Name Game Shone Farm—A state-of-the-art vineyard owned by the the Santa Rosa Junior College. The Russian River Valley—In March 1812, 25 Russians landed near the mouth of what we now call the Russian River. This was a decade before the Spanish missionaries arrived in the area. The Russians farmed to provide food for their Alaskan colonies. They brought vines from South America and they, not the Spanish, made the first wine north of San Francisco. About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.

Read more articles by Fred McMillin in the eGGsf Welcome to WineDay, the electronic Gourmet Guide's daily update. Monday through Thursday, WineDay presents a wine profile. Then on Fridays we present the Winery of the Week to take you through the weekend Current WineDay January WineDays February WineDays March WineDays April WineDays May WineDays June WineDays 07/28/97 The Head of the Class 07/25/97 Winery of the Week George G. Sandeman & Co. Limited 07/24/97 What's Up, d'Oc? 07/23/97 An Angelic Zinfandel 07/22/97 A Brilliant Brightlighter 07/21/97 The Charles Krug Winery, Napa's First 07/18/97 Winery of the Week Mastroberardino Winery 07/17/97 A Wine from Casablanca? 07/16/97 What's "Spritz"? 07/15/97 A Down-to-Earth Wine 07/14/97 The Price of Wine 07/11/97 Winery of the Week Llano Estacado Winery 07/10/97 World-Class Blass 07/09/97 Jumpin' Jehoshaphat, Whadda Muscat! 07/08/97 The Leap, From Bordeaux to Stags 07/07/97 Call Up the Reserves? 07/04/97 Winery of the Week Palmer Vineyards 07/03/97 The Two Black Opals 07/02/97 An Underground Chardonnay 07/01/97 B & G? Oui, Oui!

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