2022 Lail Vineyards 'Georgia' Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
Georgia is grown on a three acre, dry-farmed estate vineyard in Yountville. This exquisite, Graves-style (dry white Bordeaux) Sauvignon Blanc is fermented and aged in 100% French oak barrels for eighteen months. It displays unprecedented depth and complexity, amazing texture, and a long lingering finish. Lail Vineyards was the first winery in the New World to produce a Sauvignon Blanc in this complex and captivating style, beginning with the 2002 vintage. The proprietary name celebrates the first member of the sixth generation of our family’s winemaking in Napa Valley, Georgia Eileen.
It’s not hard to figure out why Robin Daniel Lail is making some of the most elite wines in the Napa Valley. She’s had some time to prepare. Not only did she grow up looking over her father John Daniel’s shoulder in Inglenook Winery in Rutherford, she worked for Robert Mondavi for 5 years, then in 1982, she co-founded Dominus with Christian Moueix, and in 1983, co-founded Merryvale Vineyards with Bill Harlan, where she served as President for ten years. She founded Lail in 1995. We call that a track record. Lail’s winemaker is Philippe Melka, one of the finest winemakers in our little sylvan valley, not to mention the world. He’s worked for Lail since the beginning, not to mention Dominus Estate in Rutherford and Château Petrus in Pomerol. Not exactly a lightweight, as they say.
JD95
Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a part of the old Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Georgia is all varietal from the Totem Estate Vineyard just outside of Yountville. It’s a much more serious white offering beautiful aromatics of ripe melon, pineapple, honeyed flowers, and subtly spicy, musky nuances. These carry to medium-bodied white that has rock-solid concentration, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. While it’s brought up in 30-40% new barrels, you wouldn’t know it from tasting it. [Jeb Dunnuck, 08/01/2025]
VN94
Vinous
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Georgia is terrific, especially in a vintage marked by severe drought. Exotic flowers, chamomile, spice, lemon confit and apricot are some of the notes that grace this textured, creamy Sauvignon Blanc. Vinification in oak and some lees-stirring build resonance. What a beautiful wine.