Nose
Opening with a burst of apricot, apple cider and mango, the
nose elegantly evolves into refined notes of honey, basil and
fresh cut grass.
Palate
The wine offers a soft mouth feel and
displays a great acidity that perfectly balances the sweetness.
Luscious flavors of white nectarine, pineapple, honey and
vanilla coat the palate and make this dessert wine a perfect
pairing for a pineapple upside-down cake or a cheese tray
accompanied by dried fruits and nuts.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for the 2010 vintage of our Eloquence Late
Harvest White Wine come from several Napa Valley
Vineyards that provide the perfect conditions for botrytis
cinerea, “the noble rot” which is responsible for some of the
world’s greatest dessert wines. The vineyard sites were
selected because the canopy grows denser and the fog lingers
longer than in some other parts of the Napa Valley, creating
the humid environment needed to naturally produce a late
harvest wine.
Harvest
In order to produce a late harvest wine that balances
sweetness with natural acidity, the grapes were harvested
from their respective vineyards and then hand sorted at the
winery, looking for those grapes with pure botrytis in the
fruit.
Winemaking
After final selection, the grapes were gently pressed
over several hours.
Aging
Following pressing, the wine underwent a
very slow fermentation over six weeks at a low temperature,
and was then held in stainless steel tanks until bottling. The
2010 Eloquence is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.