Wending Home Estate Vineyard Earth Series Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Giesbrecht decided to create two versions of the estate Sauvignon Blanc for consumers to taste side-by-side and decide for themselves what style they liked best. The "Earth" series wine was fermented and aged in traditional earthen/ceramic vessels of various sizes that were purchased from China. Giesbrecht says the ceramic aging offers "a broader, more open and complex texture on the palate, with the mouth-watering tart fruit being mellowed by prolonged lees contact." A unique feature of these vessels is that they allow minute amounts of oxygen to slowly find a way to react with the wine and soften it slightly, the winemaker said, migrating through the three-cm thick stoneware ceramic walls of the vessels. It's bright and lifted on the nose with notes of grapefruit, kiwi, passion fruit, pear, and herbaceous accents. It has lovely texture and purity on the palate with tart citrus, pear, melon, fresh herbs, kiwi, and tingly acidity on the bright finish. (Rick VanSickle,winesinniagara.com,Jan. 3, 2024)