2010 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc

View Winemaker's Tasting Notes Video

Philosophy

This wine was inspired from the wines of the Loire. We have always admired the completeness of the Sancerre wines. The ability to create a white wine that showed more than just acidity to cut through spicy foods or a hot summer day. We liked the fact that Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre had that little bit extra. A wine that you could sit and deconstruct, or sit on your patio and enjoy. We aimed to produce a wine for the conoseur and the consumer alike. The Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc is certainly a wine to be taken seriously.

Growing Season

After a long and wet spring, we began 2010 around two weeks late. Warm weather during the month of May helped us move within a week of normal, but the remainder of the year was relatively mild for the Columbia Valley leading to a tremendous year for white varieties and a challenging year for red varieties grown in cooler areas. Acidity is high as a whole for the vintage, leading to wines that will age well with more perfumed aromatics and fresh vibrant palate's.

Winemaking

This wine was 25% whole cluster pressed and 100% stainless steel fermented , leading to a wine with more structure and flowered aromatics. There was two vineyard sources, Stillwater Creek and Sagemoor for Sauvingon Blanc and a small percentage of Semillon from Rosebud Vineyard. The wine was fined and sterile filtered and bottled in early May.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes

A scintillating, lively nose of lime, melon, green apple and hints of quince, with a racy background of grapefruit and herbs. The palate is bright, crisp and steely, driven by bracing acidity and a lacing of minerality. An elegant finish delivers subtle hints of quinine and grapefruit. A limited production wine for a good cause, ideal for sipping on those sunny summer days out on the deck.