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{ SOMMjournal.com } 91 hite wine blends are nothing new in California. In the 1950s and 60s, generic wines like "Chablis" featured a large cast of different white variet- ies. These wines were not world-class, but they represented an evolutionary phase for California winemakers who were hoping to make wines that competed in the global wine market and satisfied American consumer taste profiles. Over 50 years later, throughout California winemakers are now making high-quality white blends. These blends typically emulate the great Rhône, Bordeaux and Friulian white blends. In many cases, however, they represent completely new types of blends that frequently find an interesting middle ground between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in terms of flavor, body, texture and ripeness. Several of these exciting new wines are actually coming from the heart of red wine country—Napa Valley. Blending: "The Best Part of the Job" Rob Sinskey of Robert Sinskey Vineyards has been making a white blend called Abraxas since 2003. Inspireby his wife Maria Helm's cooking, which begged for wines other than Chardonnay, Rob came up with a combination of four classic Alsace varieties: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc. According to Rob, "Abraxas is a salute to distinctiveness and a reaction against homogeneity" and his desire to "create something that is distinctive instead of another perfect California wine." The blend varies each year as a result of "each variety's unique response to a vintage." Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris have all been the lead variety at least once during the last ten vintages. Winemaker Dan Petroski of Massican Winery had a definite image in mind when he created white blend Annia in 2009. His experience with some of the super Friulian wines, such as Enzo Pontoni's "Bianco" and Vie de Romans "Flor di Uis," led him to the Chiles Valley in Napa Valley, where he found (Tocai) Friulano that had been planted in the 1940s and to George Vare's Ribolla Gialla vineyard just north of the town of Napa. These two Italian varieties became the base of the wine and typically constitute 75 to 80 percent of the blend. Dan found the Italian varieties to be "a lot more delicate repre- sentations of their lineage, so I had to look for Western varieties planted in sites that had a bit more restraint, like Chardonnay from Carneros, which represents the ultimate team player in this three-wine blend by filling in the gaps and adding weight to the mid-palate and over-all length of the wine." For Petroski, however, "the blending of these grapes is the best part of the job, as you IN NAPA VALLEY, WHITE WINE BLENDS HOLD THEIR OWN AGAINST THE CABERNET JUGGERNAUT by Bob Bath, MS PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT SINSKEY VINEYARDS PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT SINSKEY VINEYARDS Robert Sinskey's Abraxas, a blend of Alsace varieties, was designed to accompany his wife Maria Helm's cooking. Vintner Robert Sinskey wanted to "create something distinctive" with his white blend. Dan Petroski created "Annia" as a tribute to Friulian whites. Somm Journal June/July.indd 91 5/9/14 12:12 PM