Lady of the Sunshine 'Stolpman Vineyards' Sauvignon Blanc Ballard Canyon 2023

Gina Hildebrand (now Giugni) grew up on her family’s biodynamic farm, the 86-acre Narrow Gate Vineyard, just east of Placerville in northern California’s Sierra Foothills. Now a biodynamic farmer herself, Gina established Lady of the Sunshine in 2017, taking inspiration from her family roots. She earned her degree in wine and viticulture and worked for several years with sustainably focused, terroir-driven winemakers in France, New Zealand, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and Howell Mountain in Napa. Gina now makes her home in the Edna Valley of California’s Central Coast with her husband Mikey (who also produces his own line of wines). The motto of Lady of the Sunshine is “know your farmer,” and Gina farms, sources, and makes wines that are honest yet playful reflections of serious vineyard sites. For this release, Gina sourced sauvignon blanc from Stolpman Vineyards in Santa Barbara County’s Ballard Canyon. Tread by foot and left to macerate on the skins for 24 hours, the wine then fermented with indigenous yeasts in neutral barrels and aged on the lees for eight months. Bright citrus and salty minerals combine with a hint of green melon and lime zest on the finish. Certified organic, certified biodynamic, low-intervention/natural wine.