Heavenly.

In a word, that describes this elixir.

Very, very few Sauv Blancs wow us. Most are good. Some are very good.

A select few tip into truly great territory.

This is firmly planted as one of the outliers, in the company of other great examples from Eisele/Araujo, Bevan’s Dry Stack, Spottswoode, Morlet, and Mondavi’s I Block. Members of the $100 SB club, that is.

So, at $85 from the winery, it’s also priced like an outlier.

But what if you could get it for a “normal” SB price, like under $30? A sophisticated, complex beguiling beauty for a porch-pounder-type deal?!

No brainer.

Sommras is a passion project started by a successful entrepreneur named Geetash Goyal. He purchased a property on Atlas Peak and the first vintage came in 2018. They make just a few hundred cases per year. You won’t find it at Costco, or even your most connected local purveyor. Heck, you need a referral to even get into the winery to have a shot at buying some… He named the winery as an homage to the juice (Somras) that Indian gods would drink with the hopes of it bringing them everlasting life.

Then of course he recruited a veteran winemaker like Kent Jarman to take the helm. Jarman is a protégé of Heidi Barrett at Coupe de Foudre and Au Sommet, with humble beginnings at Duckhorn, and later as neighbor to Eisele Vineyard, he singlehandedly put Kennefick Ranch on the cult wine map.

And one sip is all you need to know this is a total life-affirming blockbuster. Beautifully bright with ample fruit, herbs, melon, and overall terrific freshness. Up front, it flashes juicy caramelized Meyer lemon and just-ripening pineapple, with orange blossoms, meringue, and hints of baked apple and toasted almond. It tiptoes into the ripe side of things without becoming cloying or sweet, with superb weight and polish, reminiscent of a great Chablis, yes, Chardonnay dare we say, showing verve and nerve.

For our price today it’s a steal, and in a league of its own.

Oh, and no scores on Sommras whites yet, but the reds are creeping up to the mid to high 90s slowly as the word gets out. We’ll leave you with the thought of being in on things early and a tasting note on this wine from The Napa Wine Project prior to its release: “scents of red apple, pineapple, melon and honeysuckle. The palate is bright but not bracing; still, this wine delivers plenty of vibrancy across the palate. It sports flavors of mandarin orange and assorted citrus notes. Lively and energetic. The finish is mouth-watering and bright lingering with flavors of lemon and lime. This vintage offers a bit more texture than the 2021 with a rounded and velvety character.”