Joseph Phelps Vineyards: 2000 Sauvignon Blanc

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BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES:
95% estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc from Spring Valley vineyards; 5% Spring Valley Semillon.

HARVEST DATES:
Sep. 6-12, 2000

WINEMAKING DATA:
Grapes were harvested at an average 23.0° Brix, with 30% of the blend fermented in small oak barrels and given three months lees contact. The remaining 70% was fermented in stainless steel tanks and held five months in German oak ovals. Both lots were then blended and bottled in March, 2001.

The long 2000 growing season was a roller coaster ride of temperature highs and lows, with many vintners picking from August to November, a time span causing both mental and physical fatigue on the part of vineyard and production crews. Nevertheless, overall fruit quality was extremely high despite a heat spell in June, a mid-September cold snap, more heat at the end of September and showers in mid-October. (And we're not even counting the 5.2 earthquake in September!) A warming trend finally allowed the harvest to conclude at the end of October.

Don Wallace of Dry Creek Vineyard summed it up perfectly: "If I had to say one thing about this year, it would be that this harvest was a lot harder on us than it was on the grapes!"

Because Sauvignon Blanc is an early ripener it escaped most of the meteorological ups and downs, and sugar and acid levels were able to develop under near-ideal conditions. The result is a wine with vibrant aromas and flavors, complemented by excellent acidity, with pungent citrus and grassy notes that are the hallmark of the variety.