DoublePlus Sauvignon Blanc 2020 750 ML

Celebated winemaker Tom Rinaldi’s career began at Freemark Abbey, and in 1978, he became the founding winemaker at Duckhorn Vineyards for the first 22 vintages. Before DoublePlus Wines, he helped build Pellet Estate, Provenance Vineyards and Hewitt from the ground up. DoublePlus Wines production is small, with only about 1,100 cases produced in total, as everything from vine to bottle is harvested and made by hand. Rinaldi’s 45+ years of Napa Valley wine experience enables him to produce wines that showcase his masterful blend of traditional French techniques with ultra-high premium fruit. “Early in my career, I realized that certain barrels showed the divergence from the norm; both positive and not. I decided long ago to taste each barrel and rate it. Typically marking with chalk, I would chalk a barrel I did not approve of with an “X”-not one I would use in a blend, and fortunately a rarity. A “minus sign” needed additional help, or removal. Others were a “check mark, being normal or average. There were some very nice barrel samples that were delightful, and would get a “+” (plus sign). In the lot were certain rare barrels, exceptional wines that were extraordinary, and I would rate those with “++” “DoublePlus”. I have done this in China, Russia, Washington State, and in Napa Valley. It is my own barrel-rating system.”