WINEMAKER: Janet Myers
APPELLATION: Napa Valley
BRIX AT HARVEST: 21°–22°
VARIETAL COMPOSITION: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
FERMENTATION: 100% stainless steel tank fermented; 50% skin contact
pH: 3.24
TA: 6.4g/L
ALCOHOL: 13%
RELEASE DATE: April, 2013 |
|
|
2012
Napa Valley
Sauvignon Blanc
Sensory Evaluation:
Appearance: Pale straw
Aromas: Vivacious and extravagantly aromatic with lime zest, white grapefruit, honeydew melon, and lemongrass. Bright, effusive layers of fresh citrus and tropical fruit are interwoven with subtle mineral and floral notes and a hint of sweet vanilla bean.
Flavors: Full and lively on the palate, brimming with fresh lime, grapefruit, green apple, and citrus blossom. The concentrated fresh-fruit flavors are deliciously true to the variety and echo the aroma, showcasing mouthwatering citrus with subtle grassy notes and crisp, cleansing minerality. Long, clean, refreshing finish.
Winemaker’s notes:
In our quest to produce a rich, vibrant, and supple Sauvignon Blanc, we took this wine on a little trip: the Loire meets New Zealand by way of Napa Valley.
To bring out the aromas and flavors that make this grape so appealing, we source fruit from several Napa Valley sub-appellations and apply a range of small-lot winemaking techniques. For vineyards offering mineral character, the fruit is gently whole-cluster pressed and undergoes a slow, cold fermentation in tank to capture the purity and minerality of the fruit as you might find in a Loire wine. With vineyards offering rich, expressive fruit, we give the must skin contact—a New Zealand technique. The juice is tasted every 1-2 hours to capture the peak of lime and lemongrass flavor before pressing. Together, the different lots unite to create a wine with great complexity and vibrancy.
—Janet Myers
Growing Season:
After an unusually dry winter, an April drenching provided
most of our rainfall for the growing season. April proved to be a roller coaster for the vines, offering up a mixture of very wet weather and cold nights that required frost protection, followed by summer-like temperature spikes late in the month. From there, it was remarkably smooth sailing for the spring and summer. Lots of sunny, warm days brought flowering three to four weeks ahead of 2011. As the nearly perfect conditions continued we kicked off the 2012 harvest, bringing in pristine clusters of Estate Sauvignon Blanc on August 17. As the harvest progressed, the quality of the Sauvignon Blanc was exceptionally fine and the last came in on September 3. |
