S.R. Tonella Cellars offers 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
Rutherford, Napa Valley, April 2015 — S.R. Tonella Cellars is now releasing its first Sauvignon Blanc, from the 2014 vintage, 100% sourced from Rutherford appellation grapes. “It’s with great excitement that we announce the release of this wine,” explains owner/vintner Steve Tonella. The Sauvignon Blanc is the second wine to be released from Tonella; the other current release is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon ($74), also 100% Rutherford appellation. “We are proud to represent the Rutherford appellation and produce these two limited release hand-crafted wines,” Tonella adds.
The S.R. Tonella 2014 Sauvignon Blanc is available for $29 (at www.SRTonellaCellars.com); only 125 cases were made. The winemaker is Fred Delibert.
“Our 2014 Sauvignon Blanc enjoyed a season of warm days followed by cool evenings allowing for optimum maturity and complexity,” Tonella explains. “The wine has rewarding forward notes of key lime, which progress into melon and mango with a delicate touch of vanilla and nutmeg. Balanced with bright acidity, the result rewards with refreshing intensity,” Tonella adds.
Steve Tonella launched S.R. Tonella Cellars in 2014 with the release of the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet is sourced primarily from his family’s Niebaum-Tonella estate vineyard in Rutherford and the Morisoli-Borges Vineyard (in Rutherford).
Tonella Cellars will be participating in the Rutherford Wine Experience on May 1 and 3. The winery has also launched a wine club with many options for purchasing wines, participating in special events and enjoying other benefits.
Steve Tonella is the fourth generation of his family to grow grapes in Rutherford. He was born in Napa Valley and from an early age worked in the vineyards with his father and grandfather. After college he began his career in the high-tech industry and has lived and worked in England, Japan, Rome and Barcelona. During his travels, he dreamed about returning to his roots and cultivating Rutherford wine.
“S. R. Tonella Cellars is the culmination of my family’s over 100 continuous years in the wine business in Rutherford,” Tonella explains. It all started with an earthquake. In 1906 after the great San Francisco earthquake, a huge demand for workers to rebuild the city brought Joseph Ponti, Steve’s great uncle, from northern Italy to San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, Ponti became the superintendent and initial winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyards in Rutherford, where he stayed for 43 years. His nephew, Steve’s grandfather, Louis Tonella, joined his uncle at Beaulieu when he was just 17. Louis inherited the family’s own vineyards in Rutherford and passed them on to his son Raymond Tonella, Steve’s father. Over the years, Raymond purchased additional vineyard acreage, as well as managing other Rutherford vineyards.
“My goal is to keep this heritage alive with the S. R. Tonella Cellars wines,” Tonella says. “Our purpose is simply to make history by crafting the best Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, expressing the best of the Rutherford appellation,” he adds.
For more information: S. R. Tonella Cellars, P.O. Box 97, Rutherford, CA 94573, concierge@SRTonellaCellars.com, 707/205-5767, www.SRTonellaCellars.com.
