Sentium Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (750ML)

Chiara Mondavi, of the fourth generation of the Mondavi family, built Sentium around older, organically farmed vines tended by family growers in Mendocino’s Redwood Valley. The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc comes from vines planted in the 1940s and 1960s, and it spends nine months or less in a mix of concrete tanks, used large barrels and 80-gallon stainless steel drums, a combination that builds texture without masking the fruit. Meyer lemon and grapefruit lead, with peach pit, honeyed white flowers and a flinty, faintly reductive note that reads as clean rather than funky. The palate is medium-bodied and silky, with lemon-leaf bitterness, a hint of toasted almond and tarragon, and a saline finish carried by bright acidity. Critics expect it to hold for a decade or more. Try it with a goat cheese and herb tart, asparagus risotto or grilled prawns.