Rudd Crossroads 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Mt Veeder

The Wine

This is a Sauvignon Blanc with few parallels in Napa Valley. It is crafted very differently than today's budget-friendly wines that are ready for sale within months of harvest. They're fun wines, but this one is more serious, aged in cigar-shaped oak barrels to soften and gain some wood influence, it is very reminiscent of Dagueneau.

Pairings: Fresh goat cheeses and similar (Ricotta, Chevre with herbs) and Alpine cheeses with a bit of tang and nuttiness. Shellfish and crudo with citrus notes and chopped chives/cilantro. Bright salads with moderate citrus acidity.

The Winery

Natalie's wine background begins with a childhood spent playing among the vines at Rudd Estate and eventually befriending matriarch Samantha Rudd. That fond childhood experience led her to choose wine as her career path. That career included years at Etude Winery, Villa Maria (New Zealand) and Littorai before 'coming back home' to Rudd in 2014.

Rudd Estate's Winemaker, Natalie Bath, is just one part of a cohesive team at Rudd Estates. A winery dedicated to sustainability at all levels, everyone who works there is assigned rows in the vineyard, and it's their job to maintain them and to harvest them. This provides a deeper knowledge of this most elevated agricultural product, but also builds appreciation for everyone and every role at the winery.

Together, the Rudd team has carved a very rare and enviable reputation for their wines, wines that stand high above their Napa Valley peers when it comes to wines that reflect the unique characteristics of their vineyard. These wines stand out in the crowd for not tasting like every other Napa Valley wine among a sea of sameness.