2021 Schramsberg Sangiacomo Blanc de Blancs

About this wine

This inaugural release of our Sangiacomo Vineyards Sonoma Coast Blanc de Blancs (2021) reflects the maritime character of the appellation, where morning fog, cool coastal air, and persistent winds extend the growing season and encourage a slow, even ripening of the fruit. The influence of nearby San Pablo Bay helps moderate temperatures, allowing the grapes to retain bright natural acidity while developing concentrated, expressive fruit flavors. This distinctive climate and landscape have led the Sangiacomo family to seek out exceptional vineyard parcels throughout the region, and we have been honored to partner with them for over 25 years.

The Sonoma Coasts cool temperatures are particularly well suited to Chardonnay, creating fruit with a compelling balance of freshness, structure, and ripeness. This Blanc de Blancs brings together fruit from three Sangiacomo vineyard sitesBates, Roberts Road, and Kisereach contributing its own character to the final blend. Sangiacomos careful, site-specific farming emphasizes the nuances of these individual vineyard blocks, resulting in fruit with both intensity and precision. The long hang time allows the grapes to develop layers of citrus and orchard fruit while maintaining the lively acidity that is essential to the style.

The Schramsberg style of Blanc de Blancs is dry and crisp. Small lots of barrel-fermented wines, some of which complete malolactic fermentation, are added to stainless-steel fermented wines to create added complexity in the blended base wine. After undergoing a second fermentation in bottle, the wine then ages on its yeast lees for over four years prior to disgorgement. With its vibrant, fruitful, and focused nature, this sparkling wine will maintain its freshness, structure, and refined finish for decades following its initial release.

The 2021 growing season started with cold temperatures and minimal rain, giving way to warm weather through the summer months. Hot days and cold nights allowed for steady ripening throughout the season. The few heat spikes at the end of August encouraged the vines to dig deep into the soils, resulting in highly concentrated fruit with a beautiful balance of generous acidity.

Tasting notes

Our 2021 Sangiacomo Blanc de Blancs features aromas of clean, bight citrus and candied orange, with notes of crunchy pear, yellow apple, and warm sugar cookie. The palate is tart and bright on entry, with flavors of tangy grapefruit and ripe pineapple. A touch of zesty lime curd provides a refreshing finish. - Winemakers Jessica Koga, Sean Thompson and Hugh Davies