Nose
The nose is defi ned mostly by citrus (grapefruit and
lemon), floral (lychee and lillies) and tropical fruit (pineapple, passionfruit) notes.
Palate
The
wine has a very round mouthfeel, with fl avors expressing more notes of tropical fruit.
Its weight is driven by acidity, with a lovely balance of sweetness and minerality. The
wine is medium-bodied with a long fi nish highlighted by mineral notes. This wine will
continue to develop for two years from vintage.
Growing Conditions
The 2015 growing season in Napa Valley started out with unseasonably warm
temperatures in the late winter and early spring. This resulted in an early bud break
and bloom. Colder temperatures in May (during the peak of bloom) caused uneven
fruit set which ultimately resulted in much smaller crop.
Harvest
Our vine-by-vine farming
approach coupled with hand sorting in the vineyard and at the winery ensured that
we picked and crushed only the best quality grapes. The harvest was one of the
earliest on record in Napa Valley, beginning on July 22 with the picking of grapes for
sparkling wine, and concluding for most vintners and growers by mid-October.
Winemaking
Harvested in mid-August from a very rocky block at Juliana Vineyard, this wine was
slowly pressed and fermented in 20% new French oak barrels with just over 30%
native fermentations. Stirred everyday during fermentation, then once a month after
that, the wine was aged on the lees for 8 months. We used 50% steamed and 50% fi re
bent barrels to balance the oak integration. We also used some 75-gallon cigar barrels
that provided better lees contact and a much softer integration of the oak to the
wine. The result is body and texture rounding out the palate and added complexity to
the fl avors and aromatics. Additional depth and mid-palate weight comes from 5%
Semillon blended with the Sauvignon Blanc.
Aging
8 months in French oak barrels.
Appearance
Beautiful pale yellow in color.
