Lieu Dit Sauvignon Blanc 2018
(Santa Barbara, California) - [WRO 93] [WE 92]

About the winery:

Lieu Dit is a partnership of longtime friends Eric Railsback and Justin Willett. The two met in Santa Barbara while Eric was finishing college and Justin was just beginning his career in winemaking. They were among a small group of young winemakers and restaurateurs in Santa Barbara unified by a common interest in wine and all its mysteries.

After countless bottles shared together and many trips to France, Railsback and Willett decided to found Lieu Dit in 2011 and focus it solely in the varieties indigenous to the Loire Valley, now grown in Santa Barbara County. The varied micro-climates and marine based soils of Santa Barbara County are ideally suited to this set of grapes.

About the wine:
A combination of both tank and barrel fermentations that are aged in neutral barrels. We source our fruit from three vineyards in Happy Canyon called Grassini, McGinley, and Star Lane. Varying soils of sand, shale, and gravel at Star Lane and heavier clays with larger yellow and red chert and serpentine rocks at both McGinley and Grassini.

Ratings & Reviews

93 Points - Wine Review Online:
"If you like Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley such as Sancerre, I think you will like this one from Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County in southern California. It has subtle aromas of grapefruit, lime zest, a touch of melon and lemon verbena and stony minerals. The flavors of Meyer lemon, white peach, lime zest and melon are pure and focused and linger on the palate. Try it with oysters on the half shell or grilled shrimp. “Lieu Dit” from French means a named place. For example, In the wine world Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains is a lieu dit. The Lieu Dit Winery was created by two very busy men who met several years ago in Santa Barbara, Justin Willet and Eric Railsback. They agreed to focus on Loire Valley grape varieties, mainly Sauvignon Blanc, along with Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and others. Willet, who owns Tyler Winery and consults with other wineries is the winemaker. Railsback, a sommelier, was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Sommeliers of the Year in 2014 and owns the winery Railsback Frères with his brother Lyle." - Rebecca Murphy (Oct 2020)

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast:

"Clean lines of chalk, lime peel and juiced citrus meet with a strongly grassy streak on the nose of this Sancerre-esque bottling. A grippy tension grabs hold of the palate, where pomelo skin and more grass tones carry into a zesty finish." - Matt Kettmann (Apr 2021)