Kokomo, Indiana native, Erik Miller, moved to California right after graduating from college with no intention of working in the wine industry. However, the town he chose because of its moderate size and accessibility to San Francisco, Santa Rosa, was a winemaking town and upon taking a harvest job (a plentiful thing in winemaking regions during that time of year) he immediately fell in love with wine and discovered he was talented at tasting and making it. Twenty harvests later he stills loves wine and has become thoroughly ensconced in the Sonoma wine industry. The Timber Creek Vineyard is adjacent to the winery in the middle of Dry Creek Valley, which, while better known for its old vine Zinfandel, is also well known for its Sauvignon Blanc and is one of the few places in California where Sauvignon Blanc outnumbers Chardonnay. With warm days followed by late afternoon fog and very cool nights, Sauvignon Blanc is able to slowly achieve perfect ripeness and avoid any green pepper or jalapeño notes. Also of interest in this part of Sonoma is the fairly widespread use of acacia barrels that mainly improve the texture and ageability of the wine without imparting more than a hint of its floral and lemon verbena notes. The wine is 100% barrel fermented with 85% done in neutral French oak and 15% in new acacia barrels. Flavors of pineapple core, peach banana, creme fraiche, with hints of spicy honeydew. The mouth feel is light but mouth coating with a long finish. It’s zippy enough to serve with dinner such as Asian chicken and fish dishes, but friendly enough to have all on its own or with appetizers.