Nose
This wine opens with notes of crème brûlée, gooseberry, apricot
skin, and graphite.
Palate
The palate picks up flavors of thyme, dried
apples, stone fruit and finishes with a satisfying combination of
creaminess and fresh minerality.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for the Napa Valley White Meritage come from our
estate vineyards in Jameson Canyon and select Napa Valley
growers located in Chiles Valley District and Yountville. The
estate vineyards are planted on rolling hills at the southern end
of Napa Valley, where the growing conditions are very similar
to Carneros, the neighboring appellation just west of the Napa
River. Winds flow through Jameson Canyon, carrying in the
cooling influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean, providing a long,
cool growing season that enhances the intensity of the
Sauvignon Blanc flavors.
"Classic" and "perfect" are just two accolades being bestowed
upon the 2012 Napa Valley growing season and harvest.
Textbook conditions saw near-ideal spring bud break, steady
flowering, even fruit set, and a lengthy stretch of warm days and
cool and often foggy nights during the long summer months.
Late and light rains held off until Napa Valley's treasured wine
grapes found optimal ripeness, bringing exceptional quality to
the crush pad and into the cellar.
Winemaking
Using no malolactic fermentation, a mix of native and
inoculated yeasts and 8 months of sur-lie aging, this Napa
Valley White Meritage is aged utilizing minimal use of new and
twice-used French oak barrels from the center of France
