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Appellation: |
Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District |
Vineyards: |
La Perla, Miravalle |
Clones: |
Spottswoode |
Varietal: |
Sauvignon Blanc 100% |
Aged: |
10½ Months in 50% New French Oak Barrels |
Production: |
437 Cases |
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Winemaker Notes |
An early September harvest yielded grapes with an average of 25 Brix. The whole cluster pressing produced clean quality juice that settled overnight in a stainless steel tank. The juice was 100% barrel fermented in 50% new French oak. Native yeast completed primary fermentation and proceeded sulfuring to prevent malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged sur-lee for 10½ months and bottled in September 2002.
The 2001 Sauvignon Blanc is a rich, concentrated wine with a nose of Meyer lemon, lime, pineapple and red grapefruit. The spicy vanilla texture weaves the layers of fruit and vanilla into a unique and complete wine. |
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The 2001 Vintage |
| The unpredictable 2001 growing season brought mild winter temperatures that forced an early bud-break. The record setting temperatures of June pushed the vines into full bloom. A cooler than normal summer allowed for increased hang time, which produced concentrated tropical flavors and excellent fruit quality. |
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Spring Mountain Sauvignon Blanc |
| First produced in 1993, the grapes now come from two of our vineyards: La Perla and Miravalle, the property originally planted by Tiburcio Parrott in 1885. Miravalle is one of the warmest areas
on the estate, which ensures fully ripened grapes. La Perla is planted meter by meter (high density) and gobelet trained. This wine expresses a richness along with a backbone that enables
this wine to develop complexity for several years after its original release. |
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Spring Mountain Vineyard |
| Originally four individual historic Napa Valley properties, Miravalle, La Perla, Alba, and Chevalier have now been combined to create an 850 acre estate of forest and vineyard on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain overlooking the small town of Saint Helena. Over 225 acres of the estate are planted to vine, creating 135 separate hillside vineyard blocks each with its own unique soil, exposure, and microclimate. The vineyard is planted in densities of 4,000 vines per acre and trained to the ancient gobelet form, a vertical trellising method that was invented in an earlier millennium by the Romans. |
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