Fermented and aged in stainless steel, the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc blends fruit from St. Helena with another parcel in southeastern Napa. Gentle tangerine notes accent riper elements of fig and melon on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is plump and textural, then comes to a crisp, refreshing finish. Like others of its ilk, it's best enjoyed in the next year or two.

Girard's 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, from a vineyard across the road from the Culinary Institute of America's St. Helena campus, offers up scents of ripe pear, melon and fig underscored by grapefruit pith. Medium to full-bodied, plump, round and well-ripened, it's a lush, almost creamy-textured version of Napa Sauvignon Blanc.

If you drink this wine too cold, you’ll miss the nuances behind the pineapple, orange and spice flavors. There’s a minerally undertow, and some interesting herbal notes.——S.H.(8/1/2011)—— 87