Liana Estates 2015 Vintner's White Blend California

The Peju family are legends around Napa Valley. Over the last decade, over 25 of their wines have been rated 90+ points, with 15 winning gold or double gold medals. Their wines have not only been praised by Wine Spectator, but they’ve also been selected for Best of the Best, Best Buy, and Four Star Wine picks by QRW Magazine. Frankly, whenever we’re lucky enough to get some of their wines in the office, there’s always a fight over which of us get to be at the tasting.

Over the last few years the driving force behind Peju wines has been daughters Lisa and Ariana, the family’s second generation of winemakers. Trained in all aspects of the business by their parents, they’ve absorbed the family secrets and added their own unique vision towards carrying their family’s legacy into the future. Liana Estates, located in Carneros the region of Napa Valley, is part of that effort. The family’s second winery, led entirely by the daughters, comes out of a single-minded pursuit: “to produce distinct and extraordinary wines”.

Managing with little water, the Peju sisters used the recent droughts to their benefit in growing the lush grapes used in this blend. Producing less grapes overall, they focused on getting the highest quality fruit from the remaining yield. The smaller number of grapes produced were able to absorb a larger share of the available nutrients and moisture than they would have under normal conditions.

These nutrient dense grapes are what make the Liana’s 2015 Vintner’s White such a fragrant and intensely refreshing wine. A proprietary blend composed principally of Chenin Blanc, this wine opens with a finely balanced bouquet of herbal and fruity aromas. In the mouth, sweet and citrus fruits are front and center, with flavors of honeydew melon and tangerine in the lead. These are accompanied by accents of sage and orange blossom, which round out a white wine fit for drinking at any occasion.