Palate
mid-palate complexity
Growing Conditions
The 2017 growing season was superb all-around. The early season weather was wet and wild but after that the weather cooperated all summer. We saw warm, breezy summer days that were offset by chilly, clear nights.
Winemaking
Hand-picked clusters of Sauvignon Blanc were field-sorted into half-ton bins on September 2 and gravity-transferred into the press where a gentle whole cluster press cycle (90% of the lot) delivered a modest 155 gallons per ton. After settling, the Sauvignon Blanc juice was fermented in temperature-controlled stainless tanks while the balance of Semillon (10%) was destemmed and kept in contact with skins for 12 hours, and then fermented in mature French barrels. The Semillon went through malolactic, adding more texture and creaminess. We also kept the lots in contact with gross lees and stirred them frequently to give the wine more breadth. This led to a rich, golden color and superb mid-palate complexity and, yes, even a bit of “grip”.
Aging
French barrels.
Appearance
rich, golden color
