Frogs Leap Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford 2020

Frog’s Leap wines are like a little black dress; they are a classic addition to anyone’s cellar and will never fall out of fashion. In just a few short decades, the winery has put a lasting imprint on the industry, and their success was built on a strong work ethic, honest farming, and a drive to become a benchmark for longevity.

Frog’s Leap Winery was founded in 1981 and is located on site of the old Adamson Winery in the Rutherford Appellation of Napa Valley. There are no highly visible winery signs so one has to look carefully for their sign painted on the white picket fence in front of their driveway. Some intriguing modern-day Napa vintner history played an integral role in the founding of the winery. Co-founder John Williams (is still the owner & winemaker) came to Napa Valley in 1975 from upstate New York where he was raised on a dairy farm. John became the first employee for Warren Winiarski at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and helped bottle the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon which took the highest average score at the famed Judgement of Paris Tasting in 1976. Having arrived in Napa just as the Valley was beginning to garner a reputation on the world’s stage, John’s career was ripe for the taking.

He made his first commercial wine with the help of Larry Turley (brother to famed Helen Turley) in 1981. Not able to afford grapes for their first harvest, John and Larry sold their motorbikes to finance their initial wine making efforts! From there, the duo went on to launch Frog’s Leap in an old barn that used to be a commercial frog farm in the late 1800s. Larry sold his interest in Frog’s Leap Winery in 1993, and a year later, John leased what is now the current location of Frog’s Leap Winery and soon after that purchased the property from the owners of Freemark Abbey Winery. Today, he has brought up 2 new generations of winemakers and it is safe to assume that Frog’s Leap winery will go on to become a multi-generational success story.

Despite four decades of commitment to Frog’s Leap’s fresh, up-tempo approach to Sauvignon Blanc, the winemaking team is always looking to push the envelope of quality with this great variety. For several vintages now, Frog’s Leap has been experimenting with holding the wine for a longer time before bottling - 2020 saw the longest sur lie aging to date with the wine spending seven months on its lees. The extra lees contact gives this vintage a little more of everything we love about this grape: intense mineral and floral aromas, bright fruit, and a bit of extra density on the palate, all without being weighed down by trappings like oak or high alcohol. A leap above the rest, we plan to drink this all summer long!