2020 Kendall-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc Vintner's Reserve California

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 85 points

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  2/17/2022 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine wrote: 85 Points

  Making a Liar of Myself
  
  In my recent post “Not Only No, But Heck No!” I was amazed (not even close to an adjective approaching reality) about a group of reviewers in England who picked “The best Sauvignon Blancs of 2021.” I also said I had never tried, nor would I ever buy, the 1 domestic Gold Medal winner:
  
  Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2020
  
  I have a pretty healthy inquisitiveness. So based on the title of this post and the previous sentence, I’m guessing you can determine what I did next.
  
  Yep, went right out and bought me a bottle!
  
  I kept thinking, could this wine be as good as all those MW’s out there think it is? After all, I’ve run into some very excellent wines that were value-priced, maybe this could be one of those. So, after chilling the bottle (I only bought 1, it’s not like there aren’t pallets full of the stuff), I broke open the bottle (twist off to be sure) and poured some into a glass (not wanting to skew the results, I did use one of my better white wine glasses). So, the verdict?
  
  Relevant or not, my first whiff of the wine, and then subsequent taste, reminded me of another Sauv Blanc I tasted many months ago also from Lake and Mendocino counties; aromas and flavors of banana and bubblegum; maybe that’s the terroir of the grapes from that region. Further along on the palate, those same nuances mixed with bright acidity and a hint (very faint) of citrus. The wine was light and pleasant but not overly remarkable. I think I saw someone use the term tropical fruit flavors, and while technically true (bananas are tropical fruit) that descriptor means things like mango, citrus, and pineapple, at least from reviews I’ve read.
  
  Another interesting observation was that the wine seemed to be slightly carbonated. It didn’t last long nor was it obvious in tasting; I’m not a winemaker, but I know that can be caused by incomplete fermentation before bottling or other factors; not a fault, just an observation.
  
  At $11, the wine is palatable but with the flavors associated with it, not something I would run out and buy again (the pallets are still full). I wouldn’t be prone to give this wine a “Gold” rating, although I’ve never used that rating system before, but still seems an unlikely candidate.
  
  That’s where I’m going to leave things, with my “not only no, but heck no” intact, at least in regards to a “Gold” rating.
  
  Cheers
  
  UPDATE: After allowing the wine to “refridgerage” (see my post “Vindicated” for definition) for a day, I did notice a marked drop in the banana/bubblegum flavors and a little more minerality and citrus.

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