The Setting house spotlight
The Setting Wines Spring Release Party is on camera from the Jesse Katz house, the same Sonoma project behind this barrel-fermented 2022 Sauvignon Blanc.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2022 The Setting Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $26.41 and the average is $26.41. Our slash is $29.00.
2022 The Setting Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County
Jesse Katz's barrel-fermented Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc with Haut-Brion barrels, dual 94s, a 2022 you can open at twenty-nine dollars.
The 2022 is 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc from the west side of Dry Creek: orange blossom, lemon meringue, passion fruit, and lime after new and neutral French oak with Haut-Brion barrels, now $29.
A Haut-Brion barrel trick in a Sonoma white you can actually buy
Jesse Katz, Wine Enthusiast's 2025 Winemaker of the Year, ferments this Sauvignon Blanc in French oak, including Chateau Haut-Brion-style barrels that mix acacia and oak. The 2022 comes from the west side of Dry Creek and saw about 38 percent new French oak. Wine Enthusiast 94: subtle oak spice, herb, lemon, green apple, kiwi, vivid acidity, almost tannic. Jeb Dunnuck 94: mango, grapefruit, floral, lime, fresh apple, drink 2024 through 2034. James Suckling found green apple, celery salt, flint, lime, and vanilla. About 500 cases. This is the bottle that argues Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc can take barrel and still stay bracing.
The house
Jesse Katz founded The Setting in 2014 with Jeff Cova and Noah McMahon after Petrus, Screaming Eagle, and Lancaster Estate. Wine Enthusiast named him 2025 Winemaker of the Year.
The wine
100% Sauvignon Blanc. Barrel fermented in new and neutral French oak, including Haut-Brion barrels. 13.4% ABV. About 500 cases.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 94. Jeb Dunnuck 94. James Suckling: green apple, flint, lime, vanilla.
The drinker
Citrus blossom first. Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. Tomato-goat cheese tart or salmon Cobb.
Orange blossom and lemon meringue, then lime, flint, and length
The winery opens on citrus and tropical fruit: orange blossom, lemon meringue, panna cotta, and passion fruit, with Haut-Brion barrels for a zesty citrus finish. Dunnuck found ripe tropical fruit, mango, grapefruit, floral lift, then lime, apple, and spice, medium-bodied with driving energy. Wine Enthusiast found oak spice, herb, lemon, green apple, and kiwi on a lively, almost tannic frame. Suckling called it crisp and crunchy, lime and vanilla, plenty of tension.
A warmer, more concentrated white year than 2023. Katz kept 38 percent new oak so pineapple and lime stay in front of toast. Dunnuck's window runs 2024 through 2034.
Orange blossom, lemon meringue, passion fruit, mango, green apple, kiwi, lime, flint.
Medium, 13.4% ABV, barrel ferment, 38% new French oak, vivid acidity, almost tannic.
Citrus, mineral, vanilla. Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant.
Haut-Brion barrels, new and neutral oak, no malolactic costume
On the Setting brief, the 2022 is 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc from the west side of Dry Creek, barrel fermented and aged in a mix of new and neutral French oak, about 38 percent new, including Haut-Brion-style barrels with acacia heads. Katz learned that barrel at First Growth white programs. Here it is spice, ginger, and mineral, not toast covering peach and citrus blossom.
About 500 cases. Serve 46 to 50 F. Five minutes in the glass if the bottle is ice-cold.
The 2023 Setting Sauvignon Blanc is already in the shop. This 2022 is the warmer-year sibling at twenty-nine dollars.
A 2014 Sonoma house built around Jesse Katz
The Setting exists because Katz, Cova, and McMahon wanted terroir-driven luxury wines with a modern edge.
Jesse Katz trained at Petrus, Screaming Eagle, and Robert Foley, then became the youngest head winemaker at Lancaster Estate. The Setting launched in 2014.
Wine Enthusiast named him 2025 Winemaker of the Year. The wines are made at his Aperture facility from sites chosen for cool-climate fruit.
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is that idea in white: Dry Creek fruit, Haut-Brion barrels, a table price.
Tomato, goat cheese, and a little smoke
Barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc wants acid, herb, and a creamy counterpoint. A tomato-goat cheese tart or a salmon Cobb.
Two plates. One tomato and goat cheese tart. One salmon Cobb. Both love a cold, spicy white.
Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. A white stem keeps lime and flint in front.
Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart
Juicy tomatoes, tangy chevre, pastry. The Setting brunch plate.
Why it works: Goat cheese meets the creamy oak middle. Tomato and herb echo citrus blossom while acidity cuts the pastry.
View Recipe for tomato and goat cheese tart (opens in a new tab)
Summer Salmon Cobb Salad
Salmon, avocado, lemon, crunch. Sauvignon Blanc's lunch plate.
Why it works: Citrus and flint cut salmon fat. Herb and lime keep the 2022 bright.
View Recipe for summer salmon Cobb salad (opens in a new tab)Put this Setting Sauvignon Blanc in the cart
Jesse Katz. Dual 94s. Haut-Brion barrels. Twenty-nine dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is The Setting white for a table that wants barrel Sauvignon Blanc with a snap.
