Maitre de Chai Sonoma Mountain Skin Ferment Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2023 Lettie Teague WSJ On Wine The whole grapes are gently

The whole grapes are gently pressed

A go-to summer white that punches well above its station

no-frills American lager from Almanac that proves a brewery famous for complex barrel-aged sours can also nail simplicity

which is a large part of why Terah Bajjalieh does

Maitre de Chai Sonoma Mountain Skin Ferment Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2023 Lettie Teague WSJ On Wine The whole grapes are gentlyThe skin contact riff on Matre de Chai's Ellison Sauvignon Blanc, drawn from the same 1969 planted Sonoma Mountain vines. A bit of time on the skins plus a touch of botrytis in 2023 pushes the wine into deeper, more aromatic territory: rose petal, orange peel, dried flowers, tangerine oil, nutmeg. Whole cluster pressed, native yeast fermented in neutral oak. Not a hard edged orange wine but a textural, perfumed white with extra grip and dimension. For