This wine came to me through friends Naomi and Eric, owners of Napa Valley’s beloved (and only) used book store, Napa Bookmine. Eric moonlights (daylights, really) as a winemaker and he introduced me to this small lot of Napa Valley haute Carneros Sauvignon blanc, from a vineyard north of Route 12 where it’s a bit warmer than lower Carneros.
Eric (that’s him in the photo) showed me two samples: one from tank and one from amphora. I really liked the amphora wine, both in the mineral aroma and rounded texture and yet a 1:2 blend with the tank-aged wine lined up better with my expectations for that bell-ringing varietal clarity Sauvignon blanc boasts.
White peach, lime, pretty florals and a bit of the amphora-clay note are most prominent. And since this vineyard isn’t super cold, the herbaceous character pushes only as far as lemongrass. This is a wine I would be happy to drop my mask for at $12/glass.
We bottled on July 1st (our daughters and their friends worked the bottling line) and Hannah and I have been loving it in this heat—really enjoyed it with peaches gleaned from our neighbor’s tree, grilled and tossed with mozzarella di bufala, balsamic and mint.
For each bottle purchased, Bêcheur will allocate $1 to Napa Bookmine’s mission providing free books to the Valley’s children. We are grateful for Naomi and Eric’s work here in Napa Valley, a community enriched profoundly by their work and love. Thank you!
Michael Terrien
Question
Karen Michels (verified owner) –
Interesting: It looks like the price dropped down to a dollar a few times–why did that happen?
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mterrien –
Karen – Some clever lurkers in the hour leading up to 10AM put in a ‘desired price’ of $1. I started the price at $999.99 before ‘go-time’ thinking it would be kind of funny. Several smartypants are having the last laugh, redeeming their tokens for their $1 bids at their leisure. I guess I won’t do that again!
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Becheur Sauvignon Blanc and Thai Food
Dan Dawson (verified owner) –
Very happy with my food and wine pairing. Next time I’ll get the green curry. The textured, athletic Becheur Sauvignon Blanc is outstanding and a steal for $15. That said, it needs time, I’m guessing November, to emerge from its post-bottling slumber. When it does: look out. Since I don’t want to drink any more of it now, I’m going to post a lower price, keep an eye on inventory, and see what happens.
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