Summer heat begs for refreshing beverages, and what can be better to slake your thirst than a lively Sauvignon Blanc wine?!  Its crisp character, bright acidity and mouthwatering finish are the essence of summer cool, keeping you satiated during all your summer activities.  Lucky Rock Wine Co. produces a Sauvignon Blanc from sustainably and organically farmed fruit that they purchase from Sonoma and Lake Counties in Northern California.  Just in time for summer, the 2021 County Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc has been released, in both bottle and can.  While this is the fourth vintage of the bottle, 2021 marks the second time that brothers Jesse and Aaron Inman canned this wine.

Last year, I admitted that I’m a bit of a wine snob when it comes to canned wine.  For me, a lot of the joy of wine is in the aromas, teasing your brain and taste buds in the foreplay of wine drinking.  Last year, I compared the can and bottle wines in a wine glass, so I could ferret out the differences.  This year, I decided to compare them as they were meant to be consumed, bottled wine in a glass and canned wine from the can.  And I must say, I enjoyed the wine poured from the bottle into a glass, the swirling of aromas and flavors, even the texture that slipped over the glass rim, it was so much more defined than drinking from the can.  But just call me old-fashioned, I’m willing to tote a bottle and glasses anywhere to engage in the unadulterated joy of sniffing, sipping and savoring.  So, outside of the vessel that this wine comes in, what about the 2021 vintage?

The 2021 Lucky Rock Wine Co. County Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc bottle is a much larger production than the previous vintage, 1,151 cases produced.  The fruit is sourced from two vineyards, 80% from the sustainably farmed Blake’s Landing vineyard in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, and 20% from the organically farmed Rolling Knolls vineyard in Lake County.  The wine is aged 6-1/2 months in 85% stainless steel barrels and tanks, and 15% in once and twice-used French oak barrels.  So aromatic on the nose, with tropical fruits (guava, passion fruit) and bright citrus (lime, grapefruit, lemon), and an accent of grassy notes, the wine is vibrant with a slightly rich and round texture from the barrel aging.  The crispness and mouthwatering finish keeps you coming back, one sip after another.  Visions of perfect summer days play in your mind as the wine pings off your palate, a light and bright crowd pleaser under $20.

The 2021 Lucky Rock Wine Co. North Coast Sauvignon Blanc can is made slightly different.  The fruit is sourced from the same two vineyards but in different percentages, 60% from the Rolling Knolls vineyard and 40% from Blake’s Landing vineyard, hence the North Coast designation.  Aged in 77% stainless steel and 23% in once and twice-used French oak barrels, the wine exudes flavors of bright citrus and a touch of tropical fruits.  The acidity seems to be higher, with the same mouthwatering finish.  It’s a pleasant, very fresh wine that is a bit different from the bottle.  The cans are sold in a 6-pack, and how the math works out, three cans equal one bottle, and one can is 1.4 glass, based on a 6-ounce pour.  You can’t beat the convenience, if you plan on picnics, concerts, or a day at the beach, the can is the way to go if you don’t want to drag around glasses and a bottle.  But it is slightly different, and I preferred the bottle.

I have to say, I really love the label design of the can, it’s so intricate with a lot of eye candy and love of tattoos, proudly displaying the Inman Brothers motto, “Canned with Intention not Pretension”.  It encapsulates their story and their struggle.  Lucky Rock Wine Co. was founded in 2013 by Jesse and Aaron Inman, whose love of wine inspired them to make wines that can be enjoyed everyday.  Prospecting for their own niche among California wines, these sons of gold miners have taken their “enjoying wine” sensibilities and translated them into their two inaugural wines, the Lucky Rock County Cuvée Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.  Wines that pair with the joy of life is their motto, more precisely “made with intention, not pretension”, easy drinking wines that reflect balance and California essence in the glass.

​*** Lucky Rock wines can be found in select wine shops and restaurants within California, and online at luckyrockwineco.com.