Medium yellow color; grapefruit, green apple, lemon-lime, pear, tropical fruit, honey, minerality, white flowers on the nose and palate.
Dry; no tannins; excellent, crisp acidity. Light-plus body. Excellent, viscous mouthfeel. Single source—Beckstoffer Melrose Vineyard—delivers vibrant, expressive, classic sauvignon blanc. Barest hint of oak. 100% sauv blanc effort, 20% aged in stainless steel, 60% in neutral oak, 20% in new oak. 13.7% ABV
Eleven Eleven did not start out as a wine project. Lifelong friends Ellie Anest and Carol Vassilliadis wanted to start a business partnership focused on real estate investment properties in Napa Valley. Their first acquisition, in 2012, was a home surrounded by a 3.5-acre vineyard in the heart of the Oak Knoll AVA. The wine temptation was too great and they brought on Kirk Venge as winemaker.
The website continues: “An advantageous opportunity presented itself when a second vineyard, a 16 acre property also in the Oak Knoll AVA became available. This provided access to several additional grape varieties and allowed us to expand our portfolio. Before long we found ourselves deep in the wine business looking for a home to share our wine with the world. We discovered a property near the city limits of Napa, in the Oak Knoll AVA. The property housed an abandoned winery along with an undeveloped plot of land with promising soils. This property was our third acquisition in a 3 mile radius. We then focused on development of the land, buildings and property which became the home of Eleven Eleven. Our winery houses the tasting room, production facility, and event spaces with surrounding vineyards.”
The Eleven Eleven name is an interesting story. Ellie and Carol wanted an inclusive name. The name can mean many things to many people. There is a time dimension—11:11 is the only time all four digits of a digital clock are the same. In astrology and numerology, it represents the power of one times many. And it is open ended—what meaning do you take from it?
Eleven Eleven Wines Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford, Napa Valley 2022 is an impressive crowd pleaser where lemon-lime, citrus, green apple and excellent acidity combine to deliver a classic, premium sauv blanc experience. Sourced from a single vineyard, the very well regarded Beckstoffer Melrose in Rutherford. Layers of complexity. Very versatile food wine. Pair with shellfish, especially oysters, lemon-garlic shrimp, garlic butter prawns, Italian crusted sardines, light seafood in general. Poultry—rosemary chicken, roast chicken with Meyer lemon and smoked paprika. Fresh garden salads, herby salads with asparagus, green bell pepper, and dill. Roasted vegetables, spring vegetables. Cheese—goat cheeses are classic; chèvre, feta; brie, camambert; young gouda, havarti. $42-45
