Sauvignon Blanc Concrete Aged

In 1981, Frog’s Leap offered their first release to consumers – a “dry white wine of substantial scale that carries itself well with a variety of foods, as it retains a delicacy to complement, not overwhelm.” Produced from vines planted at the original Frog Farm just north of Saint Helena, in 1978, the Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc was offered at $8 per bottle. 

Fast forward to 2015, when a single experimental concrete egg filled with “Old Cane” Sauvignon Blanc from the Williams Rossi Ranch revealed just how transformative this winemaking tool could be. The wine’s combination of preserved freshness, deepening complexity, and almost umami‑like savoriness convinced us this was more than a curiosity. Today we have nine concrete eggs in the Chai, each filled with fruit from a distinct block of organic, dry‑farmed estate vineyard which anchor the bottling, capturing a mosaic of soils, exposures, and vine ages across our 44 acres of Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2024 Concrete Aged Sauvignon Blanc represents a direct manifestation of our desire to explore how far this grape can go when you strip away adornment and focus on texture, minerality, and pure site expression. An unapologetically terroir-driven white wine built from the same Rutherford soils that give rise to the appellation’s great Cabernets that pushes this familiar, signature varietal into deeper territory — electric yet layered, powerful yet refreshingly featherweight.

  Vineyard & Terroir

• Sourced entirely from estate‑grown, organically farmed, dry‑farmed Sauvignon Blanc in Rutherford, with individual eggs dedicated to specific vineyard blocks of Williams Rossi Ranch, where old cane‑pruned vines in gravelly loam deliver concentrated, intensely mineral fruit.
• Additional estate blocks span a range of soils—from deeper river loams to lighter and darker adobe clays and loamier Maxwell subtypes—each contributing its own signature, from “no fruit, all texture” and savory, long finishes to high‑toned citrus, pineapple, and herbal nuance.   
• This patchwork of sites, clones, and vine ages gives the winemaking team a broad palette to draw from, allowing the final blend to emphasize length, tension, and a strong sense of Rutherford minerality over simple varietal fruit.     

Winemaking & Technical Details

• Fruit is hand‑selected by block, with each concrete egg receiving a dedicated lot that reflects a particular soil, exposure, or clonal personality.
• A modest amount of skin contact before pressing builds phenolic backbone and sets the stage for the tactile, savory profile that defines this bottling. 
• Fermentation and aging occur entirely in concrete—no stainless steel, no oak—with extended lees contact that concrete naturally keeps in suspension, enhancing texture and complexity without adding flavor from the vessel itself.   
• Concrete’s thermal stability “locks in” freshness while allowing the wine to mature, turning youthful lemon‑grapefruit notes into a deeper register of lemon curd, orange blossom, and flinty smokiness over time. 
• The final blend reflects multiple complementary eggs, assembled to emphasize energy, length, and minerality; modest alcohol, bright natural acidity, and negligible residual sugar reinforce its clean, dry, food‑driven style.   

 Style & Tasting Notes

• Aromatically, Concrete Aged Sauvignon Blanc trades overt fruit for nuance: lightning‑bolt lemon curd, orange blossom, and lifted floral notes layered with grapefruit pith, chamomile, and a distinctive flinty, smoky edge. 
• The palate is all about **texture**—long, mineral, and savory—with citrus, saline, and herbal tones woven through a dense yet weightless frame built by extended lees aging and concrete’s ability to keep those lees in motion. 
• Individual block characters show up in subtle ways: hints of raspberry lemonade, tangy pineapple, creamy citrus rind, high‑toned green apple, and a “meaty,” almost extraterrestrial savoriness that adds intrigue and length.   
• Bracing acidity and a firmly mineral core carry through a persistent finish that is more about resonance than richness, making this bottling particularly well suited to the table and to age.