Girls in the Vineyard White Blend

Girls in the Vineyard White Blend is a 750ml Rhône-style white field blend from Dunnigan Hills, California, produced by Art+Farm Wine. The 2016 vintage earned 92 points from Wine Enthusiast, signaling serious quality from an under-the-radar California appellation guided by acclaimed viticulturist Steve Matthiasson.

Quick Facts: Origin: Dunnigan Hills, Yolo County, California  |  Style: White Rhône Field Blend  |  Blend: 49% Grenache Blanc, 29% Viognier, 11% Piquepoul Blanc, 11% Roussanne  |  Producer: Art+Farm Wine  |  Vineyard: Windmill Vineyard

Production & Heritage

Art+Farm Wine sources fruit from Windmill Vineyard in the Dunnigan Hills of Yolo County, where viticulturist Steve Matthiasson oversees the growing. This is a true field blend — Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Piquepoul Blanc, and Roussanne are planted together in the vineyard and harvested simultaneously, meaning each variety arrives at a different ripeness level, contributing distinct flavors and textures to the final wine. The fruit is whole-bunch pressed, then fermented in neutral French oak barrels and aged sur lie until bottling, preserving freshness while building weight and complexity.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with ripe pear and honeyed apricot, followed by delicate herbal undertones. Beneath those fruit tones sit gentle layers of butter, vanilla cream, and a hint of toasted almond.

Taste: On the palate, ripe pear and vanilla bean dominate the entry, transitioning into toasted almond and lemon citrus at mid-palate. The texture is luscious yet retains a crisp backbone — a hallmark of the Piquepoul Blanc component — delivering impressive depth across each sip.

Finish: The finish is dry, long, and deeply satisfying, with a distinctive lip-smacking quality often associated with Picpoul-based wines. Lingering notes of citrus peel and toasted grain slowly fade.

How to Drink Girls in the Vineyard

This field blend is at its best served lightly chilled, around 50–55°F, in a wide-bowled white wine glass that allows the aromatic complexity to open up. Neat sipping rewards patience, but the wine's structure also makes it a versatile partner in wine-based cocktails and spritzes.

• White Wine Spritz: The honey and pear notes play beautifully against sparkling water and a grapefruit twist.
• French 75 (wine variation): Swap champagne for this blend to add textural richness and almond depth.
• White Sangria: The Viognier and Grenache Blanc components bring stone-fruit sweetness that anchors seasonal fruit additions.

Best For

• Introducing Rhône-style whites to friends who default to Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
• Pairing with a summer seafood dinner on the patio
• Gifting to a wine lover who values small-production California bottlings
• Exploring California appellations beyond Napa and Sonoma

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Girls in the Vineyard taste like? It delivers ripe pear, toasted almond, and vanilla bean on the palate, with a luscious yet crisp texture and a dry, lingering finish marked by citrus and a distinctive lip-smacking quality from its Piquepoul Blanc component.

How does Girls in the Vineyard compare to Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas Blanc? Both are California white Rhône blends, but Girls in the Vineyard leans into a field-blend approach where all varieties are co-harvested at different ripeness levels, while Tablas Creek in Paso Robles ferments each variety separately before blending. The Girls bottling tends toward a rounder, more textural style with pronounced pear and almond notes.

Is Girls in the Vineyard good for sipping on its own? Absolutely — the sur lie aging gives it enough weight and complexity to hold attention on its own, and the interplay between creamy richness and crisp acidity makes it rewarding without food.

Where is Girls in the Vineyard made? It is produced by Art+Farm Wine using fruit from Windmill Vineyard in the Dunnigan Hills AVA of Yolo County, California, under the viticultural guidance of Steve Matthiasson.

What foods pair well with Girls in the Vineyard? Grilled shrimp or scallops echo the wine's buttery richness. Roasted chicken with herbs mirrors its savory, herbal aromatics. Soft-ripened cheeses like brie complement its creamy texture. Stone-fruit salads highlight the apricot and pear notes. Thai green curry works thanks to the wine's aromatic Viognier component and balancing acidity.

What sizes does Girls in the Vineyard come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle.

Is Girls in the Vineyard worth the price? It positions as a small-production, artisan-tier California white that punches well above typical entry-level blends — the 92-point Wine Enthusiast score for the 2016 vintage and Steve Matthiasson's involvement reinforce its credibility in the category.

Why Girls in the Vineyard?

True field blends are uncommon in California; most producers ferment varieties separately and blend afterward. Girls in the Vineyard takes the Old World approach of co-planting and co-harvesting, which yields a wine where the varieties integrate from the start rather than being assembled later. Steve Matthiasson's reputation as one of California's most respected viticulturists adds a layer of provenance rarely found at this production scale. With a 92-point nod from Wine Enthusiast and a blend built around Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Piquepoul Blanc, and Roussanne, this bottling stands as a compelling argument for Dunnigan Hills as serious Rhône-variety territory.