Every now and again there’s a wine that comes along that doesn’t fit into a box and helps redefine the definition of a really great wine.

I love my job, because I love to learn and get surprised. Discovering new treasures never gets old. I find that staying curious, open, and available to experience the unknown always works in my favor. Last Thursday I was lucky enough to have one of those magical moments.

I attended a wine pairing event at Millenium in Oakland. The featured winemaker was Chris Condos’ (Vinum cellars, Kathryn Kennedy ) Horse & Plow. The surprise gem of the evening was an unsulfured and organically farmed 2013 Sauvignon blanc from the Preston Vineyard in Dry Creek. WOW! The texture and complexity was absolutely sensational. It reminded me of 1er Cru Chablis from Bourgogne because of its viscosity and weight while having well balanced acid, lovely minerality, and delicious fruit.

The most intriguing and paradoxical aspect of it was that it was completely different than any other Sauvignon blanc I’ve had before. Unlike the usual suspects of Sauvignon blanc — being predictably clean and crisp, it was complex yet accessible. It also had beautiful fruit mixed with earth, minerals and nutty undertones.

Most winemakers never go the route of making unsulfured wines because it’s too risky. Sulphur helps stabilize the wine and prevents oxidation. If you don’t have the perfect acidity — your wine turns to vinegar. It takes a master of alchemy to pull this off. And in my opinion, Chris hit it out of the park. One of the things I admire most about him is that he doesn’t shy away from the challenge of producing natural wines. His philosophy is to use sustainable practices to craft wines with greater complexity and sense of place, while caring for worker health and the environment.

Despite some of the stressors that can come with growing organically Chris stood firm in his beliefs. He chose to experiment with the Preston vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley as his #1 choice of fruit because of its pristine quality and high acidity. He didn’t add any sulfur, left it in neutral barrels for 4–5 months on the lees (dead yeast from fermentation that give a wine texture and a subtly nutty taste), and sweated it out.

With tremendous faith he had to give the wine enough space to go through a series of phases, including a “dumb phase”, where the wine’s earthy and tannic qualities dominate the fruity qualities. The result is the fruit caught up with the earthy minerality, and tannins and became a real symphony of a wine; silky texture, delicious fruit, rocky minerality, and great structure. All of these qualities reminded me of Bourgogne which uses a different varietal but has a similar flavor profile.

Chris is a maverick. His patience, courage, and keen sense of knowing how to put the right variables together created a delicious product with just enough experimentation and originality.

I recommend the 2013 Horse & Plow Preston Vineyard Sauvignon blanc with herbed goat cheese, petrale sole with butter and parsley, grilled pork chops with sauteed mushrooms, seared scallops, or Trout salad with toasted hazelnuts.

You’ll want to grab your bottle HERE. There are only few more bottles left so jump on it and don’t miss out.

Be sure to also leave a comment below. What have been your favorite wines that have made you think outside of the box? What did you think of this Sauvignon blanc with the suggested pairings? Your feedback is very important to me.

Again…you can never know too much about wine. Let’s keep learning.

Patrick