Grey Stack, Dry Stack Rosemarys Block Sauvignon Blanc, Bennett Valley

Grey Stack · California Bennett Valley United States of America

White · Sauvignon Blanc
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
91 /100
Reviews
39
professional

Vintages

No vintages

No vintage-specific entries have been added for this wine.

NV

Community Reviews

51
51
Reviews
91.3
Avg Score
94
Highest
Taster #3647 · Nov 27, 2017
86/100
Interesting. Pale yellow. Diesel fuel, and some new mown hay. Moderately sweet, ripe golden delicious apple, muscadine grapes, some citrus, reasonable tartness, but a little too much residual sugar for my tastes. Not my thing.
2011 vintage
Taster #6330 · Nov 20, 2017
love this wine...
2015 vintage
Taster #3647 · Apr 25, 2016
87/100
I liked this better when it was younger. Subtle grapefruit, a whiff of kerosene , and some orange peel. Much better at cellar temperature. Glycerine , apricot pit, mineral , and modest residual sugar, with decent finish .
2011 vintage
Taster #1978 · Jan 10, 2015
90/100
Some Syrahs on a Saturday afternoon (Loretta Paganini School fo Cooking) : This is starting to show some age. The nose has minerals and some very slight fruit to it. Nothing like this had in its youth. Slightly oily texture. Complex and interesting. Mineral driven. I would be drinking these up soon though.
2011 vintage
Taster #6097 · Sep 8, 2014
No formal notes, but delicious. The fruit screams CA, but there is enough citrus tang to keep it refreshing.
2011 vintage
Taster #6097 · Jun 22, 2014
Better on second day. No formal notes, but a warm climate SB that shows more toward lemon curd than grapefruit. Maybe my palate is changing, but it liked this more in the past. Your mileage may vary
2011 vintage
Taster #5599 · Oct 1, 2013
93/100
Awesome nose, delicious, bright melon fruit, crisp, long finish. Its a bit like a great cross between a domestic fume blanc and a new zealand sauv blanc It's two thirds the price of Merry Edward's yet it holds its own. This is a superb example of sauvignon blanc. I've found a new go-to sauv blanc.
2011 vintage
Taster #7549 · Aug 31, 2013
91/100
Wonderfully interesting and enjoyable once again...
2011 vintage
Taster #3119 · Jul 23, 2013
92/100
Much improved since last October. Grapefruit nose and taste + minerals that were balanced. Just a smooth, tasty, and delicious wine. The hostess at Lure Fishbar in NY said this was 'summery'. One of my business associates went crazy over this. Great QPR at $25.00.
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · Jul 20, 2013
94/100
The last bottle of nine and its still going strong. It exhibited all that we and others have commented on. Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow.
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · Jun 18, 2013
93/100
We really do love this wine. Had as a night cap with the NBA Finals and really just couldn't keep our hands off the bottle. Everything seems to be in perfect balance with the wine right now.
2011 vintage
Taster #6330 · Jun 4, 2013
Said goodbye to the last wonderful 2011...the king is dead...long live the king, the 2012. Just love these wines
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · Jun 1, 2013
93/100
Still loving this wine. Thoroughly enjoyable and delicious.
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · May 27, 2013
93/100
Still loving this wine. All previous comments still apply.
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · May 22, 2013
93/100
Great freshness and flavors especially of fresh pineapple, citrus, and some tropical fruits.
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · May 18, 2013
93/100
Still loving this wine. Core of fresh pineapple and tropical fruits. Pure, refreshing with good bite on the palate. Gotta love it.
2011 vintage
Taster #2978 · May 12, 2013
92/100
Nose: Honeydew Melon, Lime, Meyer Lemon, Herbal Tea and Basil. Palate: Very strong entry with smooth meyer lemon, lime and some tropical fruit notes like mango. Round but not overly so. Finish: Tart, fresh and full with refreshing acidity and pineapple notes. Who says SB cannot have a "Wow factor"? Russ Bevan really did something special with this wine.
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · May 3, 2013
92/100
Loaded with flavor and a very pleasant nose.
2011 vintage
Taster #5538 · Apr 8, 2013
90/100
This unfiltered wine from an Italian clone of Sauvignon Blanc is straw yellow and cloudy from on the lees fermentation. It is aged in stainless steel and mostly neutral oak. On the nose, there is the aroma of citrus. It is medium-bodied and slightly effervescent with grapefruit, pineapple, melon and guava flavors and very subtle hints of grass and green onions. It lacks the crisp finish and has more residual sugar (seemingly) than the stellar 2010 vintage. Sadly, the Rosemary's …
2011 vintage
Taster #7981 · Mar 31, 2013
89/100
Lots of tropical fruit....guava, papaya. Also honeydew melon. Great complexity and structure, and the crisp acidity offsets to the tropical sweetness nicely. Saving for summer afternoon.
2011 vintage
Taster #7549 · Feb 3, 2013
92/100
Delicious even in the dead of winter...
2011 vintage
Taster #6097 · Dec 27, 2012
Bright citrus tang with a softer more tropical finish. Not sappy, just fruitier. By comparison, 2010 seemed more bracing. Very easy to like this wine. It is a marriage of good fruit and nice acidity. Drank with lobster scrambled eggs sprinkled w truffle oil and it worked pretty well.
2011 vintage
Taster #1145 · Dec 19, 2012
Big aromas, like NZ, but then mineral and complexity like CA and Sancerre. Very interesting.
2011 vintage
Taster #7970 · Dec 12, 2012
93/100
Nose: grass, lemon Taste: lemon, pineapple, awesome Sauvignon blanc
2011 vintage
Taster #7549 · Nov 22, 2012
92/100
Super interesting wine in a very good way, defintely worth a try if you run across this gem. Unfortunately I don't have reliable and specific enough recollections from a wonderful encounter three weeks ago for worthwhile tasing notes...
2011 vintage
Taster #5637 · Oct 26, 2012
93/100
A bit cloudy, but that is typical with this wine. Otherwise, the color was a very pale light yellow. Great nose and decidedly complex body. We had a hard time describing all the flavors we were getting. This is one of our very favorite wines and are not disappointed.
2011 vintage
Taster #1978 · May 21, 2012
91/100
Still drinking great if maybe slightly less fruit. Beautiful nose. Great balance. Refreshing and delicious.
2009 vintage
Taster #3631 · Feb 15, 2012
91/100
Seriously tasty.
2009 vintage
Taster #4920 · Jul 12, 2011
92/100
Had alongside the 2010. This was more focused, but the 2010 was better & more vibrant. Could simply be the age perhaps?
2009 vintage
Taster #2353 · May 20, 2011
87/100
Smooth, sweet, fairly simple, not showing much character. Major disappointment compared to the spectacular '08.
2009 vintage
Taster #3119 · Apr 22, 2011
93/100
Drank this at Barrie and Erics engagement dinner in NY. Smooth and light. Slightly sweeter than the last time I drank this 6 months ago. Some fruit, with a hint of minerals. Delicious. A real crowd pleaser.
2009 vintage
Taster #0297 · Mar 14, 2011
Grapefruit, lemon zest, little melon on the nose. Bright and crisp with grapefruit and citrus. Big in flavor.
2009 vintage
Taster #2372 · Dec 22, 2010
cloudy grey stack, nice once again, lemon, GRAPEFRUIT big time, crisp, nice acidity, I would classify this as a medium bodied S.B. Not as full bodied as an Arkenstone S.B. but more going on then say a Groth S.B. Went perfect with Florida stone crab claws. Good stuff for the price.
2009 vintage
Taster #5209 · Dec 8, 2010
91/100
13.8% ABV. Glass closure. Medium straw in the glass, not especially cloudy but with chunky flecks of sediment in the bottom. Tangy citrus saline nose. Sweet/tarty grapefruit lemongrass like flavors. Tasty again.
2009 vintage
Taster #2546 · Nov 20, 2010
91/100
SF Vintners Market: 164 Wines Tasted (Fort Mason, San Francisco, California) : Nice lemon grass, tart citrus nose; tasty, detailed, lemon grass, tart citrus palate; medium finish
2009 vintage
Taster #1254 · Nov 7, 2010
91/100
Drinking really well right now.
2009 vintage
Taster #2372 · Nov 6, 2010
consistent with last tasting note
2009 vintage
Taster #2372 · Nov 3, 2010
as others said , cloudy bottle. wine was very good, except oak tast up front, which integrated as the wine took on some air. grassy, but not the N.Z. Sav blanc type. I enjoyed this wine. not spectacular but an easy drinking wine. I doubt this wine would age gracefully.
2009 vintage
Taster #1978 · Oct 25, 2010
92/100
TN: Huet, Donnhoff, Grey Stack, Brainaire, Jaffurs, Taylors and Ramey; 10/23/2010-10/25/2010 : This is just really great wine. My favorite Cal Sauv. Blanc. This bottle was a bit cloudy which I don't remember in other bottles. The nose has lots of minerals and a bit of grass and grapefruit. Really awesome. A glass left on the counter showed much more grapefruit on day 2. Well balanced and with pin point balance. This went great with the spicy soup. I keep …
2009 vintage
Taster #6330 · Sep 27, 2010
Hopefully just a bad bottle...cloudy, spritzy, tasted like squirt with some alcohol in there ....never had one like this before
2009 vintage
Taster #4279 · Sep 23, 2010
92/100
This bottle had cleared up compared to the last delicious but very cloudy bottle we had. Showing perhaps more grapefruit than the lemon in the first bottle. Still lovely ripe melon and maybe some vanilla in the nose. Check my past TN for more detailed notes, but this remains a top of the crowd Cal SB with richness, weight and a long finish. This is really a beautiful wine.
2009 vintage
Taster #5209 · Sep 19, 2010
13.8% ABV. Glass closure. Poolside. Medium straw in the glass with the remnants of a light haze still hanging around just a little. Tangy lime citrus and saline nose. Tangy citrus and minerals on the palate. Nice....again.
2009 vintage
Taster #2188 · Aug 13, 2010
87/100
This straw, yellow wine is very different from the crisp style typical of sauvignon blanc. The nose is a blend of hay, melon, and tart apple. On the palate, there is a sweetness (maybe from RS) on the front that fades to melon and granny smith apple. The acidity is firm with a creamy aspect not typically found in most sauvignon blanc. The finish is fruit packed with some melon sweetness. Overall, this is very different and quite good, but …
2009 vintage
Taster #1978 · Jul 26, 2010
91/100
Some Syrahs (and an SB) on a Sunday Afternoon : Glass closure. This is in a clear bottle and you see a lot of sediment in the wine. A cloudy green/gold/yellow in color. The nose is great with limes and white flowers. On the palate, this is crisp and delicious. My favorite Cal SB. Young of course but with a nice complexity. Tart pears and limes with cutting acidity.
2009 vintage
Taster #6865 · Jul 24, 2010
91/100
The 09 is slightly above the 08 and below the 07 in my book, cloudy haze of light gold, signature nose of grapefruit veering to tropical fruit with a backdrop of musk, great feel in the mouth, lingering complex grapefruit acidity, goes on and on, especially as it warms to room temp (yes, great cold, even better as it warms and unfolds). Love it.
2009 vintage
Taster #5209 · Jul 23, 2010
92/100
13.8% ABV. Glass closure. Medium straw in the glass, slightly cloudy, but maybe a bit clearer than earlier bottles. Nice complexity on the nose with tangy citrus and a suggestion of saline. On the palate, I think this wine might be rounding out some with additional time in the bottle, becoming a bit more like the 2008 vintage. Sweet tarty grapefruit with some background tropical fruit and a suggestion of chalk. Best bottle yet from this vintage.
2009 vintage
Taster #4279 · Jun 16, 2010
91/100
Quite cloudy -- which is a good thing in this case because it kept my SO from drinking any so I was able to try this over 3 days! Lovely, very bright, lemon and melon nose. Where this wine shows its strength though is in the mouth. Wonderful mouth feel which I find unusual in a SB, not quite oily but a weight and texture to it . Substantial and rich wine that has enough bright acid to balance it …
2009 vintage
Taster #5209 · Jun 13, 2010
91/100
13.8% ABV. Slightly cloudy straw colored in the glass with a slight greenish tinge. Tangy citrus nose with a whiff of salty/spicy blue cheese, like a bottle I opened last month. Flavors of sweet-tart grapefruit and a suggestion of chalky soil. Tangy but tamed mouthfeel. Nice.
2009 vintage
Taster #0490 · May 28, 2010
92/100
my fourth bottle, very NZed esque, tons of grape fruit, but somewhat different from the kiwi juice. Murky in color, lots of acid, refreshing, lovely wine. Would drink this all summer if I could.
2009 vintage
Taster #9712 · May 26, 2010
94/100
Glass closure. Hazy yellow. Ripe melons and hint of gooseberry on nose. One of the more balanced Cali SB we have had. Mouthwatering acidity with waves of ripe, but not overly ripe melons and pears. We are big fans of the Merry Edwards SB- this may actually be a bit better in that this is so quaffable- its not quite as rich and overbearing. Really glad we were introduced to this somewhat obscure producer- its only a matter of time …
2009 vintage