The Hermit Ram Sauvignon Blanc Zealandia 2022 SF Chronicle and a benchmark for what

and a benchmark for what the appellation can do in the hands of a great vigneron

Expect caramel

17 months in neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels

The vineyard sits in what's about to become the Carmel Coast AVA

The Selezione is his top tier - small lots chosen in the cellar

The Hermit Ram Sauvignon Blanc Zealandia 2022 SF Chronicle and a benchmark for whatNot your typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Zealandia is Theo Coles' skin fermented take, where the fruit spends weeks on its skins to become a genuine orange wine rather than the usual zippy white. Coles farms organically and biodynamically in North Canterbury and works with almost no inputs: wild fermentation, minimal sulfur, unfined and unfiltered. The skin contact swaps the variety's familiar gooseberry brightness for something earthier and