SONOMA WINES
Sauvignon Blanc
Sonoma County
Why Sonoma County Makes Exceptional Sauvignon Blanc
Sonoma County doesn’t just grow great Sauvignon Blanc — it was made for it. Spanning more than 60,000 acres across 15 distinct AVAs, the county’s signature maritime influence creates a rhythm of cool mornings and warm afternoons that lets fruit develop slowly, holding onto the vivid aromatics and bright acidity that make this varietal so expressive. The result is a wine that feels alive: beautiful and luminous in the glass, bursting with grapefruit, orange blossom, and citrus, with layers of kiwi, mango, and stone fruit that give way to a smooth, refreshing finish with a crisp lift of minerality. It’s a profile you can’t manufacture. It has to come from the land.
Vineyard Sourcing
Sauvignon Blanc thrives in Sonoma County, where it is carefully cultivated in our Sonoma Valley Wild Oak Vineyard and the Russian River Valley Lagomarsino Vineyard. We also source premium grapes from other renowned Sonoma County regions, including Alexander Valley and Bennett Valley. The warmer microclimates in these areas contribute rich, full flavors and aromatic intensity, while the cooler regions bring refreshing crispness to the wine. This harmonious blend creates a wine that is vibrant, balanced, and lively.
Winemaker Chris Louton, explains the 'personality' of St. Francis Sauvignon Blanc.
“People ask me why I love making Sauvignon Blanc, and honestly, it’s the same reason I love living in Sonoma County: everything just feels alive here. This wine starts before the sun comes up. We’re out harvesting in the cool of dawn because those bright, electric flavors I’m chasing? They don’t wait around for you. From there, it’s all about staying out of the way, gentle pressing, slow fermentation, keeping things clean and cold so the fruit can speak for itself. No shortcuts, no tricks. As a chemist, I geek out over the precision of it. As a winemaker, I love the restraint it demands. And as a dad who’s usually chasing two boys around by dinner, I appreciate a wine that’s refreshing, uncomplicated, and pairs well with whatever chaos is on the table. This is Sonoma County in a glass — crisp, vibrant, and real.”
From the Ground Up
Nothing Added, Nothing Taken Away
Great Sauvignon Blanc is built from the ground up, and ours draws from four of Sonoma County’s most distinctive growing areas. Our estate Wild Oak Vineyard in Sonoma Valley and Lagomarsino Vineyard in Russian River Valley anchor the blend alongside select sites in Alexander Valley and Bennett Valley. The warmer sites contribute body and generous fruit character while the cooler, fog-influenced valleys bring the bright acidity and mineral edge that keep the wine lively. Blending across these sites isn’t about smoothing things out — it’s about layering voices.
In the cellar, a majority of the juice is fermented slowly in stainless steel at 55 degrees for over 30 days to lock in the wine’s aromatic intensity and clean texture. A small portion is fermented in neutral oak barrels, which, as winemaker Chris Louton puts it, “accents the flavor and highlights the smooth finish.” Malolactic fermentation is blocked entirely to preserve the wine’s signature crispness, and after five months of aging, what goes into the bottle is exactly what the land gave us — nothing added, nothing taken away.