There have been a few discussions regarding Fred Brander and his SB, just never had the chance until yesterday. Have had a couple of his reds which I also enjoyed.
2012 Brander Sauvignon Blanc- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (11/1/2013)
I feel guilty. Picked this up at the 30% off sale at Pavilions for $10.50 a bottle. I wouldn’t be upset if I paid $20 for this quality. Popped and poured for Halloween and promptly hide it in the back of the refrigerator. Color is extremely light, even for a SB. Nose is dominated by pear and some ripe red apple. There’s a whiff of grass and straw buried in there. Palate reflects the nose with the addition of a little cat piss and there’s a good brace of acidity which lends itself to the crisp finish. Excellent value and wine. (90 pts.)
Wish I had known about such a sale…or I wish that a fellow OC’er would have TOLD ME ABOUT such a sale, particularly when Brander is included. That’s not an easy wine to find out here, and I’ve enjoyed many of theirs.
Great to see Brander’s name mentioned here - tis been awhile. I know Fred gets on and posts occasionally.
Fred was truly a pioneer in our area concentrating on Sauv Blanc from his own estate and various other vineyards in the Valley. His wines have always over-delivered for their tariffs IMHO, and his basic Sauv Blanc really is a terrific wine year in and year out. When I moved here in 2005, he had an ‘early release’ version of this wine that was even less expensive, and it carried a warning label to let you know that it had not been cold stabilized. I think it was released in early November! Was truly a winner wine as well!
We had a Brander “Mesa Verde” Sauvignon Blanc at S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez on Saturday night. Perfect compliment to the variety of appetizers that appeared at our table: Octopus, Prawns, Burrata and Beet salad. The wine was very fresh, very light in color, with lots of juicy acidity; this is a wine that’s more to the green side of SB tastings, lots of lemon/lime citrus and a touch of peach. This is just about a perfect SB for me, couldn’t have enjoyed a bottle more.