In recent years a good family friend has been getting into wine. Like many, it was a trip to Napa Valley that got him interested. Also like most newcomers, he started with the big name California houses and has slowly worked his way to discovering the gems at smaller estates. Last week I dropped by his house to see how his collection is growing and with what wines. Every visit in the past revealed an extensive collection of Napa cabs, and perhaps a zinfandel here and there.

I was thrown a complete curve ball last week: he gave me a bottle of sauvignon blanc that I had to try – a 2007 Round Pond from the Rutherford appellation. After researching the winery I found that they only started producing sauvignon blanc in 2005 on a small 4.87 acre plot. Only just over 650 cases of this wine is produced each year. I like it.

For me sauvignon blanc is a consistently solid white wine, though I’ve tended to drink most of them from New Zealand, South Africa and Chile. The Round Pond was a very good wine, showcasing nice crisp fruit, with that nice touch of minerality that good sauvignon blanc gives. From what I’ve seen the price of a bottle is around $25.

A final note: a lot of people gravitate toward sauvignon blanc only in the summer time. True, it is a great wine to have a warm summer days, but it does have it’s place during the winter months as well. I’ve found sauvignon blancs to be great pairs with Latin foods with a little spice.