Growing Conditions
The 2008 vintage offers an uncommon balance of high acidity and ripeness. After a cool
summer and a normal length of ripening time, I saw our white wines developing excellent
ripeness along with the high acidity, much like 1999. This yielded wines with elegance and
longevity potential
Harvest
I harvested sauvignon at dawn on September 20th, at 21.8° brix, 3.1pH
and 11.1g/L organic acid. The sémillon was harvested on the morning of October 1st, at
21.6°brix and at 3.2pH and 10.5g/L organic acid. On September 14th, our muscadelle was
harvested at 26.5°brix, 3.1 pH and 15g/L acid.
Bottling
The
wines were bottled on June 4, 2009.
Winemaking
Using techniques I adapted from Marlborough, New Zealand, all the juices were handled in
a CO2 environment which preserves the clean, pungent and fresh tone in our style. We
crushed the sémillon and cold-soaked it on its skins overnight. This builds the weight and
creaminess of the wine
Aging
We fermented in old Burgundy barrels then aged it on its lees for
nine months to developing bready aromas and supple texture. The sauvignon was whole
cluster pressed and native yeast fermented in tank without malolactic fermentation.
Food Pairing
Ideal with most everything from the sea, two additional pairings we love are mushroom-filled
ravioli and the turkey meats and root vegetable dishes of Thanksgiving.