STEPPING STONE BY CORNERSTONE SAUVIGNON BLANC CUVEÉ MUSQUÉ 2010

Yesterday we tasted the Stepping Stone Napa Valley Riesling.  Napa Valley's Cornerstone Cellars also provided Now And Zin with the Sauvignon Blanc from their affordable Stepping Stone line.  It's a Musqué clone, it's a great summertime wine and it retails for $18.

This racy white wine is made from a clone of Sauvignon Blanc called Cuveé Musqué, a highly aromatic version of Sauvignon Blanc crossed with the Muscat grape.

Stepping Stone's Musqué has an alcohol level of 13.5% abv.  It's very pale in the glass, a very clean appearance with almost no color at all.

The nose is quite aromatic, musqué, if you will.  The aromas of grassiness are most pronounced, but they stop short of some of the cruder descriptions people tend to use for Sauvignon Blanc at its most expressive.  A strong citrus scent is also present, grapefruit to my nose.

The palate is full of minerals - wet rocks - and a bracing acidity that is most refreshing.  There’s a citrus streak a mile wide, bountiful with limes and grapefruit.  A zestiness on the finish leaves a crisp, clean feeling and the traces of minerals persist a long while.

We still have the Stepping Stone dry rosé to try, which we will do next week on Now And Zin.


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STEPPING STONE BY CORNERSTONE NAPA VALLEY RIESLING 2010

Napa Valley’s Cornerstone Cellars is known for their high-end Cabernet Sauvignon wines.  These are wines mainly destined for the cellar, to be aged and enjoyed at some future date.  We all want a wine to drink right now, though - with dinner tonight - and to that end, Cornerstone produces a line of everyday wines, made and priced to be enjoyed as soon you get them home.  They carry the Stepping Stone label.

Cornerstone was kind enough to provide me with three of their Stepping Stone wines for review, two whites and a rosé.  The trio retail for $18 each.  Stepping Stone also offers a Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Today we'll find out about the Stepping Stone Napa Valley Riesling.

Winemaker Jeff Keene has done a great job with this Riesling, made the Alsatian style.  The wine carries an alcohol level of 13.5% abv and has a pale, straw color.

The Stepping Stone Riesling's nose is simply beautiful.  Soft aromas of flowers and honeydew are met with an equally soft sense of minerals for a bouquet with all the sharp edges removed.  So gentle are the aromas I was somewhat surprised to find that the wine is fermented and aged completely in stainless steel.  Despite the label designation, the grapes actually come from the cool-climate Carneros AVA.

The palate shows lovely citrus flavors - lime and some orange zest - and a fine minerality that rides on an acidity which would be just fine with a piece of fish, crackers and a soft cheese or even a handful of walnuts.  It's a dry, crisp expression of Riesling and the finish is of medium length and really lets the acidity shine.

We'll cover the Stepping Stone Sauvignon Blanc Cuvée Musqué and their dry rosé  tomorrow and next week on Now And Zin.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter.