Pale straw color; pear, lemon-lime, white peach, yellow apple, honeydew melon, white peach, minerality, white flowers on the nose and palate.
Dry; no tannins or oak influence; good acidity (3.54 pH). Light-medium body. Grapes are 100% sauv blanc from Creston District AVA estate vineyards certified sustainable by the rigorous California Sustainable Wine Alliance. There is interesting minerality notes of chalk, flint, gravel that give this an earthiness not often found in sauv blanc. 13.8% ABV
This is a label of Riboli Family Wines, which sows confusion. The core is San Antonio Winery, the oldest winery in Los Angeles. They have more than one facility and multiple labels. Which is fine, you just have to keep a white board updated to follow their efforts. Winery labels include this San Simeon effort and Madedalena, Stella Rosa, Riboli Family Estates, Opaque, and Windstream. The family is now in the fourth generation of wine and winemaking, with Anthony Riboli the principal winemaker, assisted by Arnaud Debons.
The Paso Robles winery, and its sister Monterey vineyards are certified sustainable by CSWA. At the Paso Robles winery, where this was made, solar panels provide 100% of the needed electricity, and wastewater is effectively reclaimed and recycled for additional uses.
Santo Cambianica founded the San Antonio Winery in 1917. He sponsored his nephew, Stefano Riboli, to return to the U.S.—Stefano was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Italy—when Stefano was 16. Stefano apprenticed under his uncle, eventually taking control of the operation. In 1946, Stefano married Maddalena Satragni. The couple grew the small neighborhood winery into a renowned family business. Stefano passed in 2019, but Maddalena remains in the business. The website notes: “Maddalena is now in her mid 90’s and continues to be actively involved in the winery where she began her wine career as a young woman.” [Note: Massalena was born in 1925].
San Simeon Sauvignon Blanc Paso Robles 2023: Bright, refreshing, good acidity, vivid fruit—all you want from a sauv blanc for long-time quality maker. Paso Robles has diverse microclimates, Pacific fogs, diurnal shifts, calcareous and siliceous soils, all of which combine to make this distinctive and delicious sauv blanc. Pair with shellfish; fish and seafood—swordfish with basil pesto linguine; garden and summer salads; vegetarian fare. Cheese—goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese are go-tos for sauv blanc; gruyere, asiago, muenster, gouda, brick, havarti, monterey jack, parmesan, swiss, cheddar. Cow’s milk cheeses are a tricky pairing because the acidity of both the cheese and wine compete. $18-20
Riboli Wines website—nice videos and overview
