Nose
The 2014 Estate Collection Sauvignon Blanc opens with bright
ruby red grapefruit and melon aromas with light notes of lychee
nut and peach fuzz.
Palate
This wine begins with vibrant acidity, a
complex and creamy mid-palate, and a bright crisp finish with
refreshing flavors of honeydew melon, grapefruit, and lemon
thyme
Growing Conditions
The Estate Collection is a series of limited-production wines
available only at the Raymond Estate. Sourced from our finest
estate vineyards and longtime vineyard partners, each wine
represents our winemaking team’s commitment to crafting wines
worthy of our five generation winemaking legacy in Napa Valley.
The grapes for our Estate Collection Napa Valley Sauvignon
Blanc are grown in two vineyards – our estate vineyard in Jameson
Canyon and a vineyard in the Oak Knoll District along Big
Ranch Road. The grapes sourced from Jameson Canyon, just east
of Carneros, spend afternoons in temperatures warmer than the
valley floor, but the mornings and evenings are spent in fog with
cool, marine breezes ultimately helping to evenly ripen the grapes.
This area is ideal for producing Sauvignon Blanc with crisp, clean
mineral flavors with hints of melon. The vineyard in the Oak
Knoll AVA thrives in the moderate and cool temperatures for
which the region is recognized. The alluvial soil of the vineyard is
comprised of loamy top soil which gives the way to rocky subsoil.
Winemaking
After harvest, a small amount of grapes maintain skin contact for
24 hours to add flavor and flesh into the finished wine. The
grapes are then whole cluster pressed, and the juice is fermented
in a combination of stainless steel tanks and stainless steel barrels
with a mix of native and inoculated fermentation.
Aging
The wine is
aged for 6 months to provide complexity while preserving the
delicate nature of the varietal.
