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Ratio Wines

Ratio Wines 2019 Retina Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc

It’s about finding the right proportions

Anthony King is a consummate wine professional. But not in that staid and serious way; rather, in that he’s quite literally done all the jobs -- wine shop owner, wine writer, vineyard volunteer, winemaker, vineyard manager.

In 2006, he took on the big job as head winemaker at Lemelson Vineyards. After many successful vintages, he transitioned to a role as the general manager at Carlton Winemakers Studio, where he serves as head consulting winemaker with 10+ wine brands.

But after all that, there was one thing he’d never done – make wine with his own exclusive vision. Well, Ratio is that wine. It’s an experimental brand, the kind of thing you can do when you don’t have a boss or a client. Ratio gives him the chance to experiment with different grapes, different winemaking techniques that he hasn’t worked with before.

At Ratio, Anthony is making wine with a singular focus on each decision point along the way to making great wine. His goal is to make classic, age-worthy wines with vibrant acidity that clearly express the varietal in the bottle.

Ratio Wines

Cellar 503 Tasting Notes

Ratio Wines, Carlton, Oregon
2019 Retina Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc

Ah, Sémillon. Once the most-planted grape in the world (including 90% of the wine in South Africa), and third-most planned white grape in France, it is barely grown in Oregon.

This wine is the first time we’re featuring a Sémillon at Cellar 503, and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce it to you. Why so little in Oregon? Well, Sémillon is a grape that needs a lot of heat to ripen, and the Willamette Valley is a cool-climate zone.

Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc are an iconic blend in Australian winemaking. The blend may have originated in Bordeux, but at the southwestern tip of the island continent, Sém-Sauv is the blend that put the Margaret River region on the map.

In this edition from Ratio, the young, barely-ripe Sémillon (70%) brings bright lemon, pear, green apple and white flowers while the over-ripe Sauvignon Blanc (30%) bursts with bold, vibrant, aromatic tropical fruit. It is a great food wine with lots of acid that will be perfect really cold on a hot summer day with a big salad or rich seafood. Personally, I’ll have a salad with a healthy dollop of crab, dressed with tarragon and chive.

A Cellar 503 selection in August 2021, Summer BBQ Wines Willamette Valley | Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon