# En Cavale Sauvignon Blanc (2023)

- **Producer:** En Cavale
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €26
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blossom, grapefruit, passion fruit, lime, lemon, peach, honey

## About this wine

En Cavale was founded in 2017 as a natural winemaking project by wine journalist Wolfgang Weber and winemaker Chad Westbrook Hinds. Seeking to rethink California classics through a low-intervention, European-inspired lens, the pair sources fruit from historic, organically farmed vineyards in Contra Costa County. The vines, planted in the early 1990s in Oakley and Knightsen, thrive in deep wind-blown sand and clay soils, benefiting from cooling Delta breezes coming off Suisun Bay.

## Interesting facts

- Founded in 2017 by wine journalist Wolfgang Weber and winemaker Chad Westbrook Hinds.
- Uses partial skin fermentation and acacia barrel aging to build unique texture.
- Sourced from 1990s vines growing in deep wind-blown sand in Contra Costa County.
- Extremely limited production with only 450 cases produced for the 2023 vintage.

## Food pairing

The high acidity and bright citrus backbone of this Sauvignon Blanc seamlessly cut through creamy textures like goat cheese and rich seafood. Herbal notes in the wine harmonize with fresh green herbs, asparagus, and citrus dressings, making fresh raw shellfish and light white fish ideal companions.

## Wine making process

Harvested fruit is primarily foot-treaded and subjected to a brief skin-soak prior to pressing, while a significant portion undergoes full skin fermentation for several weeks. Fermentation occurs spontaneously using indigenous yeasts without malolactic inhibition. Aging takes place in a combination of new and used acacia barrels, neutral French oak, and flex tanks. The finished wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with a minimal addition of 25 ppm sulfur dioxide.