The 2009 Sauvignon Banel practically lights up the room with perfume as soon as it is poured. Ripe, exotic and decidedly flashy, the Banel possesses gorgeous textural richness in this vintage. Juicy apricots, flowers and minerals flow effortlessly through to the explosive finish. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. Enzo Pontoni is simply on another planet. In the best years his wines frankly have no peers in Italy. The textural richness and depth Pontoni coaxes from his old-vine parcels is a marvel. The 2009 whites show an extra dimension of ripeness from a heat wave in August of that year that gave the wines more body than is often the case but without the excess of truly torrid vintages. Quite simply, I was blown away by what I tasted. For what it’s worth, I bought as much of these wines as I could afford. As usual, the wines are aged in French oak (roughly 40% new) and the malolactic fermentations are typically blocked. Importer: Small Vineyards, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 933-6767

The 2009 Sauvignon Banel practically lights up the room with perfume as soon as it is poured. Ripe, exotic and decidedly flashy, the Banel possesses gorgeous textural richness in this vintage. Juicy apricots, flowers and minerals flow effortlessly through to the explosive finish. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. Enzo Pontoni is simply on another planet. In the best years his wines frankly have no peers in Italy. The textural richness and depth Pontoni coaxes from his old-vine parcels is a marvel. The 2009 whites show an extra dimension of ripeness from a heat wave in August of that year that gave the wines more body than is often the case but without the excess of truly torrid vintages. Quite simply, I was blown away by what I tasted. For what it’s worth, I bought as much of these wines as I could afford. As usual, the wines are aged in French oak (roughly 40% new) and the malolactic fermentations are typically blocked.Importer: Small Vineyards, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 933-6767