HEAD-TURNING, AGED SEMILLON FROM NAPA
Lo and behold, another excitingly geeky wine from heritage vines in the Napa Valley. Forlorn Hope's Semillon is sourced from the Hoxsey family farm just north of Yountville. The vineyard sits on an alluvial fan of loam and poorer volcanic soils delivering intensely nervy fruit popular with Bordeaux Blanc geeks across the valley. Forlorn Hope picks their grapes early to preserve acidity. In the winery they follow the traditional Hunter Valley pattern: ferment with ambient yeast in steel, bottle, and lay down the wine for an impressively long five year hibernation before release. The end result is a beguiling mix of crisp lemongrass herbaceousness with toasty notes of candied nuts, honey, and beeswax. Clocking in at just under $30, it's an exciting wine that gives the Semillon of Australia and Napa a run for their money.