Vineyard Notes
In 2023, 37% of the fruit came from our newly acquired Estate vineyard in Pope Valley called Oso Vineyard, 18% from Oakville at PlumpJack, and 5% from CADE 13th Vineyard on Howell Mountain. We also worked with three other properties: Stanley Vineyard in Oak Knoll (17%), Berggruen in St. Helena (9%), and Juliana Vineyard in Pope Valley (14%). The grapes were harvested from August 28th through September 25th, 2023. The 2023 vintage was very cool and later than average. This produced grapes with naturally lower sugar content and higher acidity simply because we had very few days during the growing season above 90°F. Nonetheless, the resulting intensity of fruit and the variety of fruity aromas and flavors in the finished wines make the 2023 vintage unique.
Production Notes
Fermentation was carried out in a combination of stainless steel tanks and drums (87%) and French oak barrels (10% new). Eleven different strains of yeast were used to ferment the juice. Fermentation lasted for an average of 20 days at an average temperature of 56°F with no malolactic fermentation occurring. The wine aged in stainless steel tanks and barrels for 5 months. The barrels and stainless steel drums were aged sur lies without stirring the lees.
Winemaker Notes
Our 2023 Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of grapefruit, lime zest, white flowers, white peach, lemon grass, and orange peel. On the palate are aromas of pineapple, guava, tropical fruit, Asian pear, candied lemon, and green melon. The wine has a bright acidity and wonderful texture on the mid-palate. While the core of this wine is Sauvignon Blanc, the Musqué, Sémillon, and Viognier add a lot of floral notes and viscosity to this vintage. We captured these wonderful floral notes by fermenting each variety separately in concrete eggs, stainless steel drums, and tanks. The French oak barrels, in which 10% of the wine aged in, were very lightly toasted to preserve the delicate fruity aromas and provide a creamy texture to the mid-palate of the wine.
