We’ve reviewed some Root:1 wines before. We’ve gotten excited about their cabernet sauvignon and we’ve reviewed their 2008 sauvignon blanc. Today it’s the 2009 sauvignon blanc and our impressions are similar to the 2008.
Root:1 is named in reference to the roots of the grape vines. They also have a tag line, “The Original Ungrafted” which more directly explains what’s unique about this brand — although I expect most consumers wouldn’t know what “ungrafted” means. Grafting is a process where a part from one plant is cut off and connected to a matching cut on a different plant, they then grow together and become one plant. The graft is often done to connect a vine to a different rootstock. This is done in order to put heartier, more disease-resistant rootstock on vines than they would naturally have. Most grape vines used for wine production are grafted onto different rootstock, but the vines used to grow the fruit for Root:1 wines have their original, natural rootstock.
I grew up on a small apple orchard and I know about grafting from the fruit trees. But I wouldn’t expect those who’ve never spent any time learning about vineyards or orchards to be familiar with grafting. Maybe I’m wrong. How about you, have you ever heard of grafting? Do you care whether the vines used to produce your wine were grafted?
I honestly might not have guessed this to be a sauvignon blanc at first whiff. It’s much more minerally and less tropical than I expect from a sauvignon blanc, particularly one from Casablanca Valley. Some might say it’s a Loire Valley style, with the mineral characteristics, but I’d also expect some grassiness from a Loire Valley sauvignon blanc, which I don’t get from this one. It’s still a nice wine, just not varietally typical — it’s more like a Picpoul de Pinet on the nose, with lime and mineral being the dominant characteristics. There’s also a bit of grapefruit aroma to this one, which is typical of a Chilean sauvignon blanc.
In the mouth it’s more sauvignon blanc-like than on the nose, with plenty of grapefruit, lime and green apple flavors. There’s also a mineral undertone on the palate. The acidity is crisp and just what I want from a sauvignon blanc. It finishes relatively quickly, with mineral and lime flavors. It’s an enjoyable wine, but not quite what it should be (in my opinion) and it loses a couple points in “varietal correctness.”
Wine: Root:1
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 84
Price: $12.50
Find Root:1 Sauvignon Blanc with Snooth
Here’s what others thought of the this wine:
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.