Benziger 2004 Paradiso de Maria Sauvignon Blanc

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I was searching for a wine to celebrate Mardi Gras last night, but I couldn't come up with anything. But I did have some yummy Busken Mardi Gras cookies, and a sauvignon blanc (that we probably should have uncorked a year ago) that actually paired quite nicely.

Back in 2005, we took our second trip to wine country. On that trip, we visited mostly Sonoma, having done Napa on our first trip in 2004. In 2005, we visited Benziger. We went out of our way to schedule in the visit, as Benziger takes you on an extremely educational tour of their biodynamic vineyard. It was my first exposure to either biodynamics and organics.

Benziger, July 2005

While at Benziger, we visited the reserve room and purchased (of course) a couple of bottles, including the 2004 Sauvignon Blanc Paradiso de Maria, estate grown from Sonoma Mountain. According to CellarTracker, we have 2 bottles of this, purchased at $30 each at the winery. Now, I'm terrible at updating our CellarTracker, but I'm really hoping we do have a second bottle someplace.

This was a hefty sauvignon blanc – different from what I usually come across. It was still a California sauvignon blanc, with tropical fruits on the nose. In the mouth, it was full of mango and kiwi, but it also had a sort of oily feel to it. I know oily can sound bad, but think of it more like a truffle oil, not motor oil. The wine was rich and full, which isn't something I often find in a sauvignon blanc and while that tropical fruitiness was there, it was also muted. The wine actually grew on me as I drank it.

Benziger is a great winery, and I recommend trying any of their wines you can find. This estate grown sauvignon blanc was excellent and surprising.

Our review:

Posted by Michelle at 10:14 am in Tastings, Wine Notes, Wineries | Permalink | Comments (1)

One Response to “Benziger 2004 Paradiso de Maria Sauvignon Blanc”

Ron says:

November 5, 2012 at 4:05 pm

11/5/2012

Did you open this recently?

I have a 2004 in my cellar and have been wondering how it would taste today.

I guess I should try it.