Nose
Meyer lemon with hints of lemongrass.
Palate
Flavors of sweet lemon curd a touch of vanilla are livened by the slightest hint of uncut jalapeno. This medium bodied white has an inherent creaminess from neutral oak barrels and splash of acid that excites.
Growing Conditions
The 2023 growing season was cooler and wetter than recent years. Near-record rainfall filled soil profiles while a cooler spring and summer facilitated good vine growth but slowed berry and cluster development. The result was a later harvest. Fortunately, the autumn weather was warm and consistent which helped to fully mature berries. The result was a balanced crop with ripe fruit, high tannins and anthocyanins, all indicators of high quality.
Winemaking
After harvesting, grapes for the Austin Hope Sauvignon Blanc were whole cluster pressed into stainless steel tanks for settling. The juice was then racked off its heavy lees into barrels and tanks for fermentation 88% of the juice was barrel
fermented in a mix of 1/3 new, 1/3 one to two time used and 1/3 neutral, while the other 12% was fermented in stainless steel. The barrel fermented portion saw 5 months of sur-lie aging and during the middle three months, the barrels were stirred monthly to add to the creamy nature of the wine. After the final blend was assembled in January 2024, the wine
was gently crossflow filtered before bottling.
Aging
88% Barrel Fermented (Mix of New,
1x and 2x, and Neutral) and 12% Stainless Steel for 5 Months.
