Ferrari Carano's Fumé Blanc: The Oak-Aged Sauvignon You've Been Missing

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What happens when traditional French winemaking techniques meet California innovation at a price point we can all afford? Pure magic in a glass. Ferrari Carano's North Coast Fumé Blanc 2023 represents the pinnacle of value white wine, scoring 92 points from top critics while remaining accessible at just $10.99.

Most casual wine enthusiasts don't realize that "Fumé Blanc" simply refers to oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc, a style that transforms the typically bright, zesty varietal into something with remarkable depth and complexity. The genius behind this particular bottle lies in its balanced approach – 70% fermented in crisp, clean stainless steel tanks while 30% enjoys time in neutral French oak barrels. The result? A wine that maintains refreshing fruit character while developing sophisticated texture.

The real secret weapon here is Ferrari Carano's traditional sur lie aging process, where the wine rests on spent yeast cells for three months with bi-weekly stirring. This patient technique creates an unexpected creaminess that blooms mid-palate, complementing the tropical fruit, peach, and subtle coconut notes. Unlike aggressively herbaceous New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that can overwhelm, this expression remains smooth, lingering, and perfectly balanced – proof that exceptional winemaking doesn't require an exceptional price tag. Grab a bottle of this surprisingly sophisticated North Coast gem and discover what Domain Dave wishes he hadn't overlooked for so many years. Your taste buds (and wallet) will thank you!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey, welcome, it's Domain Dave.
Again CheapWineFindercom.
Today we have a wine that'sbeen around for a while.
This is Ferrari Carano NorthCoast Fumé Blanc 2023.
Ferrari Carano was Dan andRhonda Carano.
They started the winery inSonoma in 1981.

(00:24):
And a few years back, when DonCarano passed, they were
purchased by Foley Family Wines.
I've got links to all thisstuff on the cheapwinefightercom
website and Foley has a really,really good portfolio.
I mean Ferrari Carano, which istop-notch, isn't even the top

(00:48):
one there.
I mean it's one good thingafter another, not that
Ferrari-Carano isn't top-notch.
So what is Fumé Blanc?
This is way back when the NorthCoast.
This is in Sonoma.
This is the North Coast.
North Coast is Sonoma, napa,mendocino Lake County and a

(01:10):
couple other smaller ones.
North Coast is basicallyBordeaux wines and Bordeaux
Blanc, savion Blanc and Semillona little bit of Semillon.
Bordeaux Blanc is SauvignonBlanc and Semillon a little bit
of Semillon, and not all of them, but they are Semillon.

(01:31):
Bordeaux Blanc is often barrelaged and the top ones can be
aged for 25 years or more someof the wines with the longest
longevity.
So if you add a little oak toit, they call it Fumé Blanc.
That's the style.
The thing about it is that noteverybody does that.

(01:55):
I think Mondavi, and here it'sFumé Blanc.
Fumé means smoky and Blanc iswhite, smoky white wine.
I don't really get thesmokiness out of it, but that's
what it was called.
So when you see Fumiblanque,that means that there's some oak
barrel aging involved, andthere is here, but it doesn't

(02:18):
have to be.
You couldn't have oak barrelaging.
They can just call it SauvignonBlanc.
So it's one of those thingsthat if you see to me blocky,
there is oak aging, but ifyou're looking for an oak age
savion block, it might not sayit on there.
So there you are.
So this is 70 percent um aged instainless steel, like always.
I mean virtually 99 of all theuh price and this was value

(02:44):
price.
I got it, found it for 1099, Ibelieve this also got 92 points
by one of the leading winereviewers.
92 points is legit.
So it's 70% stainless steel,like most every other Sauvignon

(03:07):
Blanc, but 30% of the juice wasaged in older French oak barrels
.
Now, older barrels don't havemuch flavor to impart, but if
you age and ferment wine withstainless steel, that is air
tight, perfectly air tight Oakbarrel.

(03:28):
While they're water tight,they're not completely air tight
and a little bit of oxygen caninteract with the wine and that
little bit of oxygen will make adifference.
It's also aged surlise for threemonths.
Surlise is the dead yeast andgrape residue from the

(03:48):
fermentation pressing and theyleave it in with the wine and
it's supposed to impart someflavor.
A lot of times you say it'snutty salty.
I didn't get nutty salty here,but when you stir it Batinage in
France and they've stirred itevery other week for three
months it gave this wine alittle bit of cream, not a lot,

(04:12):
just a little bit.
It was a really nice little.
Oh, it's like in the mid-palate, all of a sudden you're getting
some cream.
This is the delicious wine.
You know how.
Maybe in the past New ZealandSauvignon Blanc can get a little
spiky.
This is smooth and sleek andflavorful.

(04:34):
It's got length, it's got agood acidity.
This is a delicious wine.
I wish I'd known about it.
I've known Ferrari Carano madegood wine for a long time but I
never, you know.
But Fumé Blanc, I didn't messwith that, I was wrong.
This is a really delicious wineand it's just well made.

(04:58):
It keeps on going.
It's got tropical fruit, it'sgot peach and pear, it's got
maybe some nectarines.
I got maybe some coconut milk.
It's a good tasting wine.
It's delicious and it's gotthat oak.
So you get the stainless steeland the oak, which is going to

(05:18):
give it two different flavors.
Going on, you've got the Anlis,which is something you don't.
You know, usually SauvignonBlanc is quick and easy.
Here they took a little time,so it's kind of, and it still
doesn't.
It still costs the same as thecheap ones, the other
value-priced ones.
So there you go, the FerrariCarano North Coast Spumé Blanc
2023.
It's got a little bit of oakaging to it, it's got a little

(05:40):
bit of anlise and it's got awhole lot of flavor.
So that's it for me.
Domain Dave cheapwinebindercom.
This is a winner.
I like this wine.
I kind of.
Why did I pass this up allthese years?
So I don't know, I shouldn'thave.
But this is a good wine, likeus.
If you like your podcast andstay cool, anybody else, keep it

(06:01):
cheap.
I'll be talking to you in acouple days.
Bye-bye.