Palate

From its sun-bright straw yellow color to its massive column of perfumed
aromas, this wine is summer in a glass. Though bright and lively like a riesling, and
almost as pungent as gewürztraminer, it is absolutely distinctive. The vibrant bouquet
reveals inviting layers of fresh flowers, quince, lemon, star fruit, apricot, peach and lime
blossom. In classic Buty style, it is bright on the attack, with rich flavors, a smooth, broad
mid-palate and a crisp finish. While natural acidity and mineral tones are a focal point of
the 2011 vintage, the acids are never hard, and instead add balance and definition to our
deep and rich wine style. As it evolves, it gains both higher and deeper tones, expanding
across the whole spectrum of bright to rich.

Growing Conditions

The 2011 growing year was the coolest and latest of any vintage in
30 years in Washington. There was a late solstice flowering, veraison began in late
August and went into September, and ripening occurred four weeks later than normal in
late September and October. Despite the coolness of the year, dry weather and the
lengthy growing season allowed us to achieve excellent ripeness.

Harvest

At harvest, the vines
were healthy, there was no rot, and the grapes were full flavored without green tones.
Harvest was cool, dry and unhurried, with good clear weather. Overall, time on the vine
was crucial, and the grapes came in with brown seeds throughout all varieties, soft,
yellow-green skins, and surprisingly well balanced numbers.

Winemaking

All the juices were handled using techniques designed to preserve the
fresh fruit and flower purity of the grapes. Each of these small harvests was sorted by
hand at the winery after hand picking and vineyard sorting. The sémillon was crushed
and cold-soaked on its skins to build Buty’s signature weight and power, while the
sauvignon blanc and muscadelle were fermented whole cluster. Completing malolactic we balanced acidity and flavors. If stored
exceedingly cold, our naturally handled wines may shed acid crystals.

Aging

Fermentations were
done by native yeasts in both Nomblot concrete tanks and old Burgundy barrels, with
aging on lees to develop richer texture and aroma. The final wine was blended in the
spring from our best barrels and tank wine. This blend represents half concrete aging,
and half barrel aging.