2018 Delta Sauvignon Blanc California 750 ml

November’s annual Napa Valley Film Festival kicks off in what is essentially the backyard of Wine Access HQ in downtown Napa, and since Head of Wine Vanessa Conlin co-hosted the festival’s blind tasting panel, we had cool VIP after-party passes. 

It was at one of these after-parties where we accidentally discovered the Wine Enthusiast Best Buy 2018 Delta Sauvignon Blanc. At $15, the price was right for an event where few people are paying attention to what’s in their glasses, but the fresh minerality and crazy high quality was almost bewildering—you know a wine is over-performing when you’re doing more double-takes on the bottle than on Olivia Wilde and Kevin Bacon.

We had no expectations when we instinctively nosed our glasses, but immediately snapped to attention upon the first whiff of beautifully articulated citrus—this was not your standard catering service wine. Beautiful Meyer lemon notes continued to impress on the palate, alongside mandarin blossom, zesty guava, and an intriguing hint of white pepper. It was so addictively racy and refreshing, we forgot all about the evening’s Hollywood factor and made it our mission to find someone who could tell us more about Delta (the brightest young ingénue in the room as far as we were concerned).  

Turns out, we were already longtime fans of the winemakers, aka husband-and-wife power duo Matt and Alexis Iaconis. We know them as the rising stars behind Brick & Mortar, the über-cool garagiste label that specializes in $50+ single-vineyard Pinots and Chardonnays that regularly earn 94-95-point scores from Wine Enthusiast and James Suckling, and are mainstays at the world-famous Restaurant at Meadowood (Alexis and Matt’s alma mater).

Delta is a side-hustle they took on after Alexis fell in love with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc while studying to become a Master Sommelier—another impressive commitment that most normal humans would call its own full-time job.

That’s how the 2018 Delta Sauvignon Blanc manages to taste so focused and expressive—few can fully understand varietal context and translate it into wine quite like Master Sommelier aspirants. By knowing each region to its core and all the factors and techniques that make its wines tick, Alexis and Matt have been able to craft the ultimate expression of New Zealand’s sunny style of Sauvignon Blanc using top-notch California grapes.

If Alexis provides the encyclopedic knowledge of the greater wine world, Matt is the engineer who—literally—brings the final wine into fruition.

Matt grew up wanting to be an astronaut, heading to UC Davis to double major in aeronautical engineering and atmospheric sciences, but found himself drawn to wine and the university’s world-renowned viticulture and enology program instead. He dove in headfirst after graduating, making wine all over the world before realizing his engineering brain could more naturally interpret grapes into wine than many of his peers. That’s when he decided to head home to California and make his own wine.

Working under (and later marrying) Meadowood’s wine director (Alexis) helped hone Matt’s palate and turn him on to the types of wines he continues to emulate each vintage in the cellar.

The future of their three children was the true inspiration behind their brand-new Delta label, as $1 of every bottle sold is donated to environmental groups that reduce carbon emissions and protect the ocean. We felt pretty great about this wine even before we knew we were doing the earth a favor by drinking it.

With its deliciously compelling vibrance, 90-point Wine Enthusiast score, and incredible $15 price, this is a Sauvignon Blanc bargain just waiting for its breakout role—in your cellar.