2024 Beitler Assyrtiko Suisun Valley California

About the Wine

Imagine yourself in Santorini—black volcanic earth beneath your feet, salty Aegean breeze in the air, tasting Assyrtiko, the grape that’s been mastering minerality and acidity for 3,500 years. Now, picture that same crisp acidity and mineral edge, but instead of the Greek islands, you’re in California’s Suisun Valley, just east of Napa, where rolling hills meet a cooler coastal breeze.

That’s exactly what the 2024 Beitler Assyrtiko Suisun Valley delivers—a fresh, textured white that’s the perfect combination of Mediterranean soul and California cool. If you dig Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño, this one’s a low-key, delicious next step for your palate.

J. Derek Beitler, winemaker and owner of JDB Wines comes from a winemaking family that’s as well regarded as any in Napa. You may have heard of his uncle, Charlie Wagner, founder of Caymus. His brother owns Bohème in Sonoma.

Derek does not rest on the successes of his family, though. He spent his summers working at Caymus while in college and continues the pursuit of perfection in crafting his namesake wines. He now owns two wineries—Carne Humana Winery in Napa which he founded with his cousin Joey Wagner in 2010. But before that, he started his solo venture, JDB Wines, in 2007.

Tasting Notes

100% Assyrtiko.  Bright and lively, the 2024 Beitler Assyrtiko bursts with crisp citrus and green apple, layered with a subtle saline minerality that whispers of its volcanic heritage. The palate dances with zesty acidity and a hint of white peach, finishing clean and refreshing—like a cool breeze sweeping across sunlit hillsides. It’s textured yet light, making every sip feel effortless and inviting.

Critical Reviews

While you might not think of Assyrtiko as coming from California (you'd expect this to be a wine from Greece) the grape is growing in the Suisun Valley, east of Napa, and in the glass it offers the kind of aromatics you'd expect of Sauvignon Blanc, citrus, orchard, and even tropical-fruit driven, but with a rich nutiness and richard palate expression, like that of a leaner Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. But that nuttiness is layered with wild flowers and, minglinge with orchard fruit calls to mind chiled chamomile tea. I like this a lot and suggest it for salads with nuts and cheese or along Dover Sole and creamy mashed potatoes. ~92 Decanter

Straw green color. Citrusy, fruity, fresh, floral, leesy aromas of lemon rind, walnut, saline, and lavender with a satiny, crisp, dry light-to-medium body and a smooth, stimulating, medium-length lime zest, hay, crushed rock, and rooibos finish with no oak flavor. Bright fresh white wine with a fantastic note of the sea. ~Tastings.com

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