Review: Acumen Napa Valley Mountainside Sauvignon Blanc ($40)

Acumen Napa Valley is an Atlas Peak estate with 116 acres of vines planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. It is owned by Chinese-born entrepreneur Eric Yuan, who hired some outstanding consultants like Denis Malbec to help him get the project rolling. After Malbec died in a tragic auto accident, Danish-born Henrik Poulsen (Malbec's assistant winemaker) took over. The Sauvignon Blanc is made very much in the white Bordeaux model, broad and melony with stirred lees to give it great mouthfeel and a dose of oak aging that lends a spicy, toasty finish. It's an impressive wine with great concentration of flavor, and the oak is well integrated, so the wine isn't overly 'woody.' (92 Points)