One of the truly great wineries in the Santa Barbara area, Sanguis is the brainchild of winemaker Matthias Pippig. For years I have admired these wines that tend to literally scream terroir. The wines are made with great concentration and underlying verve. Speaking with Matthias over Zoom, we tasted each of his new wines. In terms of vintages, Matthias loved the wines made in 2019. “2019 was definitely a conducive vintage for us” he said. “I keep notes but I like to remember things that stuck out. 2019 didn’t have anything like that and to me those are the great vintages because the one things that wines want are the consistency. The heat beating can be an issue with beating the prettiness out of the grapes. Everything shuts down with that.”
He continued “We work with vineyards now where we don’t have huge pressure to pick before we really want to. I like to pick on the early side so that we have alcohol levels that are in the low 14s. But when we made Syrah from places like Happy Canyon or Ballard Canyon it gets really hot there and there are times when we need to pick. We grow Syrah mostly in the Santa Rita Hills now and also at the base of Ballard Canyon now and we don’t have that pressure for the most part.”
Pippig did not notice any smoke influence in his 2020 wines. I certainly did not notice any in the scintillating 2020 Sanguis ‘Insouciance’ Rose (OB, 95) which is essentially masquerading as a red wine. It is dense, chewy and one of a kind that I think you will admire. One of the great Santa Barbara County Chrdonnays that I have tasted in the past year is the 2019 Sanguis ‘Loner the Golden Hour’ Chardonnay (OB, 96) which shows insane salty terror and a minute long finish. Even better was the incredible 2019 Sanguis ‘1/1’ Grenache (OB, 97) which offers everything you want in a Grenache from this region. Very salty, savory and jam-packed full of bright fruits, this is a very geeky but also very delicious rendition of this varietal. Learn more about these incredible wines at sanguiswine.com and here are my reviews of the new wines by Sanguis.
2019 Sanguis ‘Loner the Golden Hour’ Chardonnaay- Sourced from the John Sebastiano vineyard, the wine utilizes one Wente clone block at the top of the hill at one thousand feet, as well as a block utilizing clone 76. This was stored in neutral oak puncheons before bottling, as the wine shows some very good cellaring potential. The mesmerizing aromatics bring you back to the glass, arousing the senses with honeysuckle, white peach, wet stone, and Pazazz apple. The palate is very focused and concentrated with unbelievably good length. Wait for the minute long finish. Drink 2023-2032- 96
2019 Sanguis ‘Handful of Ghosts’ White Wine- The ‘Handful of Ghosts’ is a hauntingly good proprietary blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier that was stored in seasoned oak and stainless steel for 25 months prior to bottling. Cantaloupe, marzipan and cardamom notes all fill the nose. The palate is rich and viscous with a seamless texture and gobs of underlying finesse, with salty undercurrents. Quite honestly a joy to consume right now, give this an hour in the decanter if you want to open in its heady youth. Drink 2023-2036- 95
2019 Sanguis ‘Lady, Birds & Boy’ White Wine- A blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Malvasia Bianca, the ‘Lady, Birds & Boy’ is a stunning new bottling that is highly fragrant and intense. Gorgeous aromas of honeysuckle flower from the Malvasia shine on the nose alongside ripe nectarine and baking spice dusted pear tones. The palate is all-consuming and evolves with gorgeous melon, citrus and tropical fruit flavors. Wait for the near minute-long cream and mineral-laden finish. I’m pretty sure that you won’t taste anything quite like this. A truly one of a kind blend, be sure to give this beauty an hour of air before consuming. Drink 2023-2036- 95
2020 Sanguis ‘Insouciance’ Rose- The heady and hefty 2020 Rose by Sanguis is now the tenth edition of this wine. A literal cornucopia of aromas greet you from wild mushroom and peat moss tones alongside ripe Yakima cherry and green melon notes. The palate shows off a velvety texture, with serious length and weight. This might come off as big and bold for a Rose, yet the bright finesse and seamless experience throughout the mid-palate. Juicy and also quite fragrant, this is drinking marvelously now and will live on for another eight to ten years. Drink 2023-2031- 95
2019 Sanguis ‘1/1’ Grenache- The outstanding ‘1/1’ Grenache is very translucent in the glass. Coming from the Watch Hill Vineyard, this Grenache was co-fermented with 50% whole cluster inclusion and small portions of Roussanne and Syrah, stored in a seasoned 400L puncheon for 27 months before bottling. The wine comes off very Pinotesque and very sexy, with red rose water, blood orange zest, guava and copious minerals, with salty soils on the palate. World-class, with its smooth texture and delightful drinkability, this stunning new Grenache will live on for at least another decade. But why wait? Drink 2023-2031- 97
2019 Sanguis ‘1/1’ Syrah- Inky dark in the glass, the ‘1/1’ Syrah is sourced from the famed John Sebastiano Vineyard which is a very windy site which is mostly planted to Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah and Chardonnay. This site is planted to own-rooted Estrella-Syrah vines, as the wine was 50% whole-cluster fermented on native yeasts with large portion (9%) of Viognier. Downright voluptuous on the mouth, this reveals in its flavor range from smoked brisket and black licorice candy to dark chocolate shavings, honeysuckle water, sweet pipe tobacco and shades of blackberry pie. Delicious and heady, yet maintaining a bright acid backbone, coming off very weightless, enjoy this stunning bottling now and over the next ten years. Drink 2023-2033- 96
2019 Sanguis ‘Verve’ Red Wine- Always one of the truly unique wines that I taste each year, the 2019 ‘Verve’ blends Grenache, Syrah and Roussanne. Stored in a combination of used l 400 and 500L barrels for 24 months, this beautiful wine opens with a bright bouquet of garrigue with wet stone, Christmas spices, white pepper and copious dark fruits. Despite being translucent in the glass, the palate is plush and soft, with a generous mouthfeel and beautiful length. Finishing long with red fruits and minerals, this is a stunning wine to consume now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2023-2035- 95
2019 Sanguis ‘Optimist’ Red Wine- A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Roussanne and Viognier, this was stored in nearly all neutral oak puncheons prior to bottling. The nose smells wonderfully smoky from the Syrah, with white pepper dusted brisket, black florals and blackberry compote tones that combine with white flowers and green bell pepper adding to the complexity. The palate is silky and dense with great finesse and length. A rich core of red and dark fruits greet you with chocolate, garrigue and lighter citrus blossom tones. Drink 2023-2038- 96
2019 Sanguis ‘The Modern’ Red Wine- The captivating ‘The Modern’ is always released in the Fall and is mostly Syrah blended with small parts Viognier and Petit Verdot. This saw no new oak and shows off dried sage and green bell pepper notes on the nose with baking spices and suggestions of dark chocolate shavings. The palate is very soft and refined with silky tannins that frame a core of gorgeous red and dark fruits, with lemongrass and Satsuma orange zest accents. This blend is absolutely singing now and enjoy over the next ten plus years. Drink 2023-2035-95
2019 Sanguis ‘Bossman’ Syrah- Deeply colored in the glass, the highly perfumed 2019 Sanguis ‘Bossman’ Syrah is another stunning release by Matthias Pippig. Smoked beef ribs and green peppercorns march on with menthol and violets. The palate is wonderfully concentrated, with bright acidity that brings you back to the glass for more enjoyment. Drink 2023-2038- 95
2019 Sanguis ‘The Highlands’ Red Wine- Mostly Cabernet Franc with smaller parts Grenache and Petit Verdot, the wine was stored in neutral puncheons before bottling. The aromatic range is seriously good from green bell pepper and salty soils to black currants and red and dark florals. The salinity is astonishingly good and runs through the core of rich dark fruits with espresso bean and a lingering finish. Drink 2023-2038- 96
2018 Sanguis ‘Songs Without Words’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The gorgeous 2019 ‘Songs Without Words’ comes from 20+ year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Santa Ynez Valley. A silky blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with roughly 10% Petit Verdot this spent three years in seasoned oak barrels before bottling. The wine is wonderfully herbal and very old-world on the nose, with sage and red bell pepper alongside red currants and freshly tilled loamy soils. The palate comes of fresh and vibrant, showing considerably younger than its five years of age. Soft, round and generous on the mouth, this very savory bottling will be sure to satisfy over the next decade or more. Drink 2023-2035- 95