2022 Sanglier Cellars ‘Blanc du Tusque’ White Wine, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Tusque (Tusk) n. [French Provençal] The Old Lands
Blanc du Tusque is blended from our hand-farmed lots of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc to reflect the traditions of Bordeaux and the terroir of Sonoma County.
Like the Sauvignon Blanc, the Semillon was picked early. Totally a winemaker and farmer “feel” that I needed to pick it. This gave us a (naturally) very low alcohol wine that is still wonderfully mouth-filling, refreshing, and vibrant. I know I blended in a little chardonnay from our Church Block but that is just me having fun. Beautiful floral notes, very perfumy, and rich lemon oil aromatics make this a truly lovely sip of wine.
Sanglier Cellars is a family-owned winery specializing in limited-production, handcrafted wines from the finest estate-grown grapes. We are committed to producing the highest quality wines that reflect the unique characteristics of our vineyards and the skill of our winemaking team. Our wines are elegant and well-balanced, with a focus on acidity and structure. We believe that great wines are made in the vineyard, and we strive to showcase the natural beauty of our fruit in every bottle.
Available States
AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY, AK
Quick notes as I am out of town. Luckily it got delivered in time so I could take it with on the trip, but I can’t really try it with food or do a more thorough tasting and the hotel fridge was too cold.
Color- light yellow
Nose- nothing too herbaceous, more citrus and floral.
Nice mouth feel, bright, but still has some body to it. Grapefruit and something floral. This is dry. It’s pretty acidic. This probably would have been better with food, but I couldn’t test that out. As mentioned, the hotel fridge was too cold and I think the acidity mellowed out a lot with getting closer to room temp. You also get more minerality on the finish when it’s warmer.
The bottle says it’s a blend of Sauv Blanc and Semillon. I don’t have any experience with this particular blend to say if this is a shining example of what it can be, but I find it very pleasant at closer to room temp.
Dear Casemates Community,
My name is Hugh and I’m with Sanglier and here to answer any and all questions you might have. We’re super excited to launch our first campaign with Casemates and I know if you love Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends, especially in the White Bordeaux style, you will really like this wine. I am an established Winemaker in Sonoma County and have worked alongside owners Glenn and Melissa Alexander since they founded Sanglier many years ago. I look forward to some tough questions !
@TeamSanglier
Welcome to the chat. Always good to see a producer join in, especially a new one and even this late!
Are you the winemaker for this offer, or if not, just what?
Hopefully your badge will appear soon as well, the request is in
@TeamSanglier
It seems Hugh inadvertently replied to my question with a ‘whisper’ rather than a ‘reply’.
So here it his, hopefully with his approval…
Only visible to you and @TeamSanglier
I am the Consulting Winemaker for this offer, though have been a head winemaker for over 30 years in Sonoma County and the Sierra Foothills. Owners Glenn and Melissa Alexander are unfortunately not available to jump in during this campaign so you’re stuck with me ! While Glenn was technically the winemaker, as stated, I’ve worked alongside him in a consulting capacity for many years. Their wines are most definitely “one foot old world - one foot new world in style”, yet proudly embracing their California terroir. Impeccable fruit, “light touch” winemaking, and naturally balanced alcohol and acidity yield elegant, food-friendly, and age-worthy wines.
The “Lab Rat Report” is pretty spot on and I’m sorry the wine was so cold ! The grapefruit and citrus characters are coming from the Sauvignon Blanc component while the floral notes and body are from the Semillon. This wine really opens up with some air and is outstanding with a wide array of foods … and it’s only 12.2% alcohol !
@TeamSanglier why the addition of Chardonnay? I drink a few white Bordeaux blends and typically/always are Sauv Blanc and Semillon.
Also did this see any wood?
Blend changes year to year? Thanks!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Sanglier Cellars ‘Blanc de Tusque’ White Blend - $35 = 23.33%
Great question on the inclusion of Chardonnay … I was waiting for that to come up ! Really, it was a simple blending decision that fell out of final blending trials. With blending you always want the sum to be greater than the parts, or “1+1=3”, and while we really liked the overall character of the wine with just Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc there was a “hole” in the wine we felt we needed to fill. Since we had no more Semillon, and adding more Sauvignon Blanc did not work, so we looked at our stainless steel Chardonnay lots. After trialing these in, and ultimately tasting blind, we settled on the blend we’re offering today. As a Winemaker, I feel the Chardonnay did what Sauvignon Gris or Muscadelle can sometimes do a in true White Bordeaux, in terms of simply completing the blend in the most seamless and elegant way. Sorry for the long answer !
@TeamSanglier Never apologise here for a long answer! This is the right nerdy community to enjoy it. Thanks for showing up and putting up with our questions.
Regarding aging containers, this wine saw a mix of stainless steel and neutral French oak. Basically, it was a single full small stainless tank, we call them “Porta-Tanks”, with overflow going into a few neutral French oak barrels. Final ratio was 78% stainless steel and 22% neutral French oak.
And the blend for this wine definitely changes slightly each year, i.e. there is no “formula”. However, since we also make a straight Sauvignon Blanc, we always want this blend to have a distinctly different personality and be a more texture driven wine. While the aromas have some classic SB citrus characters, there is also more there than just “citrus”, and the waxy roundness on the palate is definitely coming from the Semillon. Keep the questions coming !
I know the next Casemates event starts up later today and I thought it would be cool if I added a bit of the back story regarding the history of the Sanglier brand so all of you who decided to try the wine have a bit more info … and some of this info is not even on their website (!).
I then might comment in a separate post with some geeky Winemaker info on Semillon, and Semillon-based blends, and the White Bordeaux category in general.
OK … on to the history of Sanglier … first off, many not from Sonoma County and the wine biz may not know that Glenn Alexander, co-founder of Sanglier, was one of the most elite, in-demand, vineyard managers of Sonoma County before he started Sanglier, and during its early years. His company, Bacchus Vineyard Management, farmed for Paul Hobbs, Williams Selyem, Far Niente, Lynmar Estate, and Failla, among many others. He worked alongside the former cellarmaster and enologist of Chateau Latour, Denis Malbec, as well as Clare and Gonzague Lurton of Bordeaux’s famous Lurton family on helping develop and manage their Sonoma County projects. Glenn was most definitely a “can’t make great wine without great grapes” kind of guy.
The other half of the Sanglier equation was Glenn’s wife Melissa, and avid and accomplished farmer, gardener, and chef. She held down the fort on their regular entertaining, recipes to pair with the wine, and if course, giving her “thumbs up” on all the blends. Through years of study both domestically and in Europe she was ultimately inducted into the Les Dames d’Escoffier, a worldwide philanthropic organization of women leaders in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. You never wanted to turn down a dinner invitation to their house !!
I first met Glenn and Melissa when I was head winemaker at Flowers Vineyard & Winery in the early 2000’s. Glenn then got to farm for me when I took the helm at Lynmar estate. Over the past 20 years I’ve helped Glenn off and on, mentoring him to help develop his own style and voice with his winemaking. I’m super proud to have presented this wine to all of you and, again, hope all those who ordered some enjoy it !
We just enjoyed here last night in Sebastopol with some Arroz con Pollo, or Spanish chicken and rice. A great match !
A few geeky comments on Semillon and Semillon-based blends for inquiring minds …
The reason the alcohol is only 12.2% on this blend is that Semillon gets fully ripe at fairly low sugar which = low alcohol. For those who have had some of the great Australian Semillons from the Hunter Valley you might recall they’re all just 10.5-12.5% alcohol. And these wines can age for decades ! Thus, you don’t need, or want, Semillon to necessarily get up to the same potential alcohol as say Chardonnay, or even Sauvignon Blanc. When you then complement that with the intense fruit and acidity of Sauvignon Blanc you truly have a match made in heaven.
@TeamSanglier
I’m curious, and late asking, but it seems there is a nearly 10 year gap from the last vintage, 2013?, to this one.
Is there another story there?
Good question about the gap in vintages for this White Bordeaux blend. To be honest, I’m not totally sure and would have to confer with Glenn. I suspect they simply lost their Semillon source and it took them many years to find another they were comfortable with. I was in the same boat for a few years at Quivira Vineyards where we had a very difficult time sourcing Semillon in Sonoma County as there is just not very much of it … and then finding a site you can lease or control the farming on is that much more difficult.
After a little more research, I fear I must correct myself, and I apologize for the previous incorrect answer regarding the gap in vintages. What actually happened is that from 2013 and prior this blend was a White Rhone, but then production on that wine stopped after the 2013 vintage. This gap reflects the wine being later “re-launched” as a White Bordeaux blend. During this “gap” period Glenn and Melissa were traveling more to France, and Bordeaux, where he and I even took a class together at the University of Bordeaux. I believe that it was during this time that they really started to fall in love with the White Bordeaux style.
@TeamSanglier Does this suggest those earlier vintages were, I don’t want to say substantially different, but at least not all that representative of this this one?
Not that that would affect a purchase decision, just curious.
I’m sorry if I was not clear in my last post, but 20213 and earlier vintages of “Blanc du Tusque” were based on White Rhone varieties. When the White Rhone stopped being produced there was a hiatus, after which founders Glenn and Melissa decided to re-launch their non-varietal white blend as a “White Bordeaux” to complement their Sauvignon Blanc offering which I personally think was a great move. This has coincided well with the rise in popularity of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc - Semillon blends. Thus, 2013 and earlier vintages would not be representative of the wine we’re showcasing with you today, or that might have a residual online footprint on Cellartracker or Winesearcher. Does that answer your questions ??
This wine, the 2022 Sanglier Blanc Du Tusque, is a true White-Bordeaux inspired blend with a Semillon base, followed by Sauvignon Blanc, and then some Chardonnay. It’s low alcohol (12.2%) is 100% due to the Semillon, and with production focused on using stainless steel and neutral French oak emphasizes clean fruit, elegant structure, and a refreshing natural acidity.
2022 Sanglier Cellars ‘Blanc du Tusque’ White Wine, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$360.00/Case for 12x 2022 Sanglier Cellars ‘Blanc du Tusque’ White Wine, Sonoma County at Sanglier Cellars
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY, AK
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Jan 30 - Monday, Feb 2
2022 Sanglier Cellars ‘Blanc de Tusque’ White Blend
6 bottles for $74.99 $12.50/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $114.99 $9.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2022 Sanglier Blanc de Tusque
Quick notes as I am out of town. Luckily it got delivered in time so I could take it with on the trip, but I can’t really try it with food or do a more thorough tasting and the hotel fridge was too cold.
Color- light yellow
Nose- nothing too herbaceous, more citrus and floral.
Nice mouth feel, bright, but still has some body to it. Grapefruit and something floral. This is dry. It’s pretty acidic. This probably would have been better with food, but I couldn’t test that out. As mentioned, the hotel fridge was too cold and I think the acidity mellowed out a lot with getting closer to room temp. You also get more minerality on the finish when it’s warmer.
The bottle says it’s a blend of Sauv Blanc and Semillon. I don’t have any experience with this particular blend to say if this is a shining example of what it can be, but I find it very pleasant at closer to room temp.
Dear Casemates Community,
My name is Hugh and I’m with Sanglier and here to answer any and all questions you might have. We’re super excited to launch our first campaign with Casemates and I know if you love Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends, especially in the White Bordeaux style, you will really like this wine. I am an established Winemaker in Sonoma County and have worked alongside owners Glenn and Melissa Alexander since they founded Sanglier many years ago. I look forward to some tough questions !
@TeamSanglier
If you have anything to add to my tasting notes, please do so. I freely admit these notes were not gathered in ideal conditions.
@TeamSanglier
badge will appear soon as well, the request is in
Welcome to the chat. Always good to see a producer join in, especially a new one and even this late!
Are you the winemaker for this offer, or if not, just what?
Hopefully your
@TeamSanglier
It seems Hugh inadvertently replied to my question with a ‘whisper’ rather than a ‘reply’.
So here it his, hopefully with his approval…
The “Lab Rat Report” is pretty spot on and I’m sorry the wine was so cold ! The grapefruit and citrus characters are coming from the Sauvignon Blanc component while the floral notes and body are from the Semillon. This wine really opens up with some air and is outstanding with a wide array of foods … and it’s only 12.2% alcohol !
@TeamSanglier why the addition of Chardonnay? I drink a few white Bordeaux blends and typically/always are Sauv Blanc and Semillon.
Also did this see any wood?
Blend changes year to year? Thanks!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Sanglier Cellars ‘Blanc de Tusque’ White Blend - $35 = 23.33%
Any idea if this site sells only dry wines? Been checking for something sweet for awhile. Happy new year!
@dagirlgenius I would say 99% dry. There’s been an occasional wine with a little residual sugar, and a few times we’ve gotten offered a dessert wine.
Great question on the inclusion of Chardonnay … I was waiting for that to come up ! Really, it was a simple blending decision that fell out of final blending trials. With blending you always want the sum to be greater than the parts, or “1+1=3”, and while we really liked the overall character of the wine with just Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc there was a “hole” in the wine we felt we needed to fill. Since we had no more Semillon, and adding more Sauvignon Blanc did not work, so we looked at our stainless steel Chardonnay lots. After trialing these in, and ultimately tasting blind, we settled on the blend we’re offering today. As a Winemaker, I feel the Chardonnay did what Sauvignon Gris or Muscadelle can sometimes do a in true White Bordeaux, in terms of simply completing the blend in the most seamless and elegant way. Sorry for the long answer !
@TeamSanglier
The old “donut wine” conundrum! Thanks for the explanation, as I was also curious about the inclusion of Chardonnay.
@TeamSanglier Never apologise here for a long answer! This is the right nerdy community to enjoy it. Thanks for showing up and putting up with our questions.
Regarding aging containers, this wine saw a mix of stainless steel and neutral French oak. Basically, it was a single full small stainless tank, we call them “Porta-Tanks”, with overflow going into a few neutral French oak barrels. Final ratio was 78% stainless steel and 22% neutral French oak.
And the blend for this wine definitely changes slightly each year, i.e. there is no “formula”. However, since we also make a straight Sauvignon Blanc, we always want this blend to have a distinctly different personality and be a more texture driven wine. While the aromas have some classic SB citrus characters, there is also more there than just “citrus”, and the waxy roundness on the palate is definitely coming from the Semillon. Keep the questions coming !
Dear Casemates Community,
I know the next Casemates event starts up later today and I thought it would be cool if I added a bit of the back story regarding the history of the Sanglier brand so all of you who decided to try the wine have a bit more info … and some of this info is not even on their website (!).
I then might comment in a separate post with some geeky Winemaker info on Semillon, and Semillon-based blends, and the White Bordeaux category in general.
OK … on to the history of Sanglier … first off, many not from Sonoma County and the wine biz may not know that Glenn Alexander, co-founder of Sanglier, was one of the most elite, in-demand, vineyard managers of Sonoma County before he started Sanglier, and during its early years. His company, Bacchus Vineyard Management, farmed for Paul Hobbs, Williams Selyem, Far Niente, Lynmar Estate, and Failla, among many others. He worked alongside the former cellarmaster and enologist of Chateau Latour, Denis Malbec, as well as Clare and Gonzague Lurton of Bordeaux’s famous Lurton family on helping develop and manage their Sonoma County projects. Glenn was most definitely a “can’t make great wine without great grapes” kind of guy.
The other half of the Sanglier equation was Glenn’s wife Melissa, and avid and accomplished farmer, gardener, and chef. She held down the fort on their regular entertaining, recipes to pair with the wine, and if course, giving her “thumbs up” on all the blends. Through years of study both domestically and in Europe she was ultimately inducted into the Les Dames d’Escoffier, a worldwide philanthropic organization of women leaders in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. You never wanted to turn down a dinner invitation to their house !!
I first met Glenn and Melissa when I was head winemaker at Flowers Vineyard & Winery in the early 2000’s. Glenn then got to farm for me when I took the helm at Lynmar estate. Over the past 20 years I’ve helped Glenn off and on, mentoring him to help develop his own style and voice with his winemaking. I’m super proud to have presented this wine to all of you and, again, hope all those who ordered some enjoy it !
We just enjoyed here last night in Sebastopol with some Arroz con Pollo, or Spanish chicken and rice. A great match !
A few geeky comments on Semillon and Semillon-based blends for inquiring minds …
The reason the alcohol is only 12.2% on this blend is that Semillon gets fully ripe at fairly low sugar which = low alcohol. For those who have had some of the great Australian Semillons from the Hunter Valley you might recall they’re all just 10.5-12.5% alcohol. And these wines can age for decades ! Thus, you don’t need, or want, Semillon to necessarily get up to the same potential alcohol as say Chardonnay, or even Sauvignon Blanc. When you then complement that with the intense fruit and acidity of Sauvignon Blanc you truly have a match made in heaven.
Cheers to all & Happy New Year !
Hugh
@TeamSanglier Thank you for your participation! I hope you come back!
@TeamSanglier
Great interesting history and notes.
I do hope you get to come back with additional offers.
@TeamSanglier
I’m curious, and late asking, but it seems there is a nearly 10 year gap from the last vintage, 2013?, to this one.
Is there another story there?
Good question about the gap in vintages for this White Bordeaux blend. To be honest, I’m not totally sure and would have to confer with Glenn. I suspect they simply lost their Semillon source and it took them many years to find another they were comfortable with. I was in the same boat for a few years at Quivira Vineyards where we had a very difficult time sourcing Semillon in Sonoma County as there is just not very much of it … and then finding a site you can lease or control the farming on is that much more difficult.
After a little more research, I fear I must correct myself, and I apologize for the previous incorrect answer regarding the gap in vintages. What actually happened is that from 2013 and prior this blend was a White Rhone, but then production on that wine stopped after the 2013 vintage. This gap reflects the wine being later “re-launched” as a White Bordeaux blend. During this “gap” period Glenn and Melissa were traveling more to France, and Bordeaux, where he and I even took a class together at the University of Bordeaux. I believe that it was during this time that they really started to fall in love with the White Bordeaux style.
@TeamSanglier Does this suggest those earlier vintages were, I don’t want to say substantially different, but at least not all that representative of this this one?
Not that that would affect a purchase decision, just curious.
The Vintner says the rat is correct. What is the vintner reading that I am not?
Appreciate the winery participation!
/giphy naive-purple-strudel
I’m sorry if I was not clear in my last post, but 20213 and earlier vintages of “Blanc du Tusque” were based on White Rhone varieties. When the White Rhone stopped being produced there was a hiatus, after which founders Glenn and Melissa decided to re-launch their non-varietal white blend as a “White Bordeaux” to complement their Sauvignon Blanc offering which I personally think was a great move. This has coincided well with the rise in popularity of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc - Semillon blends. Thus, 2013 and earlier vintages would not be representative of the wine we’re showcasing with you today, or that might have a residual online footprint on Cellartracker or Winesearcher. Does that answer your questions ??
This wine, the 2022 Sanglier Blanc Du Tusque, is a true White-Bordeaux inspired blend with a Semillon base, followed by Sauvignon Blanc, and then some Chardonnay. It’s low alcohol (12.2%) is 100% due to the Semillon, and with production focused on using stainless steel and neutral French oak emphasizes clean fruit, elegant structure, and a refreshing natural acidity.
Thanks so much everyone !!
@TeamSanglier
My misunderstanding.
Thanks!
groovy-unpopular-dancer