The boys at Dragonette bonded over a bottle of Didier Dagueneau and searched throughout Santa Barbara's Santa Ynez Valley to find vineyards that could best exemplify the enticing characteristics of this grape. They found those vineyards and now their Sauvignon Blancs have become some of our favorites in the entire store! Happy Canyon, with its unique soils and climate, warm to hot summer days and cool to cold evenings, is ideal for promoting full phenolic ripeness while still retaining critical acidity. The organically-farmed Vogelzang is situated on a gently sloping bed of well-drained, gravelly loam soil with serpentinite, and Dragonette controls all farming practices, from pruning to canopy management to yield control. Dragonette always does what's needed to help produce the best wines. Only 350 cases were produced, and Jeb Dunnuck honored this with 96 points, making it one of the highest scoring Sauvignon Blancs produced in California!
JEB DUNNUCK 96 POINTS - "Dragonette continues to fire on all cylinders, and this lineup showcases why they're one of Santa Barbara County's most complete producers."
"Lemon curd, pineapple, honeyed flowers, and spicy nuances all give the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard a Graves-like feel, and it's based on 100% Sauvignon Blanc from a great site located in the Happy Canyon region of Santa Barbara County. Medium to full-bodied, it has a pure, graceful mouthfeel, beautifully integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's my favorite of the trio of Sauvignon Blancs here, and I'd happily put this in a blind lineup with the best Bordeaux Blanc out there. Drink bottles over the coming decade or so. Drink 2025-2035."
ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 95 POINTS! - "I tasted a broad range of wines with Winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis that made me feel like I was listening to a greatest hits record. The 2023s at Dragonette are, quite simply, off the charts. The winemaking here is all about site transparency and farming, which Sparks-Gillis describes as 'almost like bonsai. We are so meticulous and prune heavily to severely limit yields.' For starters, there are few, if any, better Sauvignon Blancs to be found in the United States. The portfolio includes four Sauvignon Blancs that all tell a different tale, but the 2023 Vogelzang hits the jackpot."
"The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard is an explosively aromatic, texturally seamless Sauvignon Blanc of compelling character and distinctiveness. In fact, it is one of the best domestic Sauvignon Blancs I've ever tasted. Almond, orange oil, peach skin and green herbaceous flourishes make for an intriguing, engaging experience. Round in body, with excellent grip and phenolic ripeness, this is a seriously, seriously impressive effort."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The most layered and multidimensional of the vineyard-designate Sauvignon Blancs, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard matured in a mix of barrique and cigar barrels for 17 months. It offers the most complex profile, seamlessly melding grassy, tropical, citrus and mineral tones that carry throughout the wine. The palate melds oily power with a focused, linear core that runs through the finish, which lingers with waxy nuances and a stony undercurrent."
JEB DUNNUCK 96 POINTS - "Dragonette continues to fire on all cylinders, and this lineup showcases why they're one of Santa Barbara County's most complete producers."
"Lemon curd, pineapple, honeyed flowers, and spicy nuances all give the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard a Graves-like feel, and it's based on 100% Sauvignon Blanc from a great site located in the Happy Canyon region of Santa Barbara County. Medium to full-bodied, it has a pure, graceful mouthfeel, beautifully integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's my favorite of the trio of Sauvignon Blancs here, and I'd happily put this in a blind lineup with the best Bordeaux Blanc out there. Drink bottles over the coming decade or so. Drink 2025-2035."
ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 95 POINTS! - "I tasted a broad range of wines with Winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis that made me feel like I was listening to a greatest hits record. The 2023s at Dragonette are, quite simply, off the charts. The winemaking here is all about site transparency and farming, which Sparks-Gillis describes as 'almost like bonsai. We are so meticulous and prune heavily to severely limit yields.' For starters, there are few, if any, better Sauvignon Blancs to be found in the United States. The portfolio includes four Sauvignon Blancs that all tell a different tale, but the 2023 Vogelzang hits the jackpot."
"The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard is an explosively aromatic, texturally seamless Sauvignon Blanc of compelling character and distinctiveness. In fact, it is one of the best domestic Sauvignon Blancs I've ever tasted. Almond, orange oil, peach skin and green herbaceous flourishes make for an intriguing, engaging experience. Round in body, with excellent grip and phenolic ripeness, this is a seriously, seriously impressive effort."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The most layered and multidimensional of the vineyard-designate Sauvignon Blancs, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Vogelzang Vineyard matured in a mix of barrique and cigar barrels for 17 months. It offers the most complex profile, seamlessly melding grassy, tropical, citrus and mineral tones that carry throughout the wine. The palate melds oily power with a focused, linear core that runs through the finish, which lingers with waxy nuances and a stony undercurrent."
