2023

Culloden Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Mercer Wine Estates
Price range: $

2023

Culloden Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is celebrated around the world for its brightness, complexity, and versatility. First perfected in France’s Loire Valley, it has since gained global acclaim in regions like New Zealand and Napa Valley. In the Columbia Valley, this dynamic varietal finds ideal conditions to shine.

The 2023 Jaine Culloden Sauvignon Blanc is a single-vineyard wine sourced from Culloden Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Working closely with our vineyard manager, the winemaking team restricted yields to concentrate flavor and structure. Cool fall nights preserved acidity while allowing flavor to continue developing. The fruit was hand-harvested in the early mornings of mid September.

At the winery, grapes were hand-sorted and whole-cluster pressed. The juice was cold-settled for 24 hours, then racked into a combination of two 600L demi-muids and two 224L barriques, lending texture, nuance, and gentle oak integration. The wine was racked off its lees and remained in barrel until spring 2024.

Only six barrels were made. The wine was blended and bottled (unfined and unfiltered) in September 2024, producing just 145 cases.

The final wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, Clone 1, which is a vibrant, layered, and a precise expression of this site and season.

Tasting Notes

Pale green-yellow in color, this Sauvignon Blanc opens with focused aromas of dried hay, crushed stone, citrus zest, and subtle orchard fruit—green pear and yellow apple. The palate leads with lemongrass and Meyer lemon, layered with wet stone and chalk. Bright acidity gives structure to a graceful mouthfeel. The finish is long, dry, and mineral-driven, with persistent citrus and a lingering herbal note.