Huge Bear 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

*Bottle #24: Huge Bear 2005 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc

*Price: $25 (Free for me!)

*Running Tab: $300

Another perk of working at locations of the vine, other than receiving discounted wine, is getting free wine. Winemakers/salespersons come in daily, trying to get you to sell their wine for a price they deem reasonable to make a profit off their new job, hopefully to justify them making wine instead of their former career as an accountant. 

Possibly a former accountant, Tim Carl is a new CEO of wine out in Calistoga, CA and singing his "Proud to be a Californian" tune patriotically with his mint-condition wine label, Huge Bear Wines. As told to me by Carl, the name came from a bear sighting in the 19th century and the bear's spirit of "strength and independence" captured the essence of California, later dubbing the state as the Bear Republic. 

A Californian puffed up about his native wines? Unheard of! But with good reason...  

With small yields thus smaller batches and typically nicer wines when made in such proportions (less than 100 cases), Huge Bear specializes in three wines grown strongly and sovereignly in California - Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Keeping it close to home, Huge Bear grows its 12-year-old vines in Sonoma County, where Knight Valley is - the home to the elusive "huge bear" story. Full circle, people, full circle.

This Sauv Blanc was atypically aged in oak, even though it was neutral French oak, the grape usually doesn't get near the stuff. I couldn't smell it or taste it anyway so it might not have made a difference other than giving the wine a certain complexity. 

It was the strangest thing - and I don't know if it was the power of suggestion by the winemaker - but Huge Bear had a stiff aroma of lime (key lime, says Carl), giving it a very cool mineral note. After spending some time in the glass, grapefruit came out over the lime and minerality. As a Sauv Blanc, I can always find some herbacious hint to the nose and it was there but extremely subtle. 

Huge Bear Sauv Blanc has a well deserved title, as it was very flavorful, largely full of those citrus fruits, acidity and light on the palate. This wine is still young so it has time to mature but it shouldn't be laid down for too long before it loses those unique citrus aromas and flavors. Perfect this time of year. 

Cheerful and a good combination of sweet and tart, this Sauvignon Blanc should be served cold and crisp to enhance all of the natural characteristics of the grape. I had it around room temperature and still liked it. And I'm fickle!

Score: 8.5.