BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES:
100% Scheurebe from our home ranch in Spring Valley outside of St. Helena.

HARVEST DATES:
September 20, 2005

WINEMAKING DATA:
Grapes were harvested September 20, 2005 at an average 24° Brix, then frozen to minus 5°F and subsequently pressed, after which the sugar content of the juice measured 36.3° Brix. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks to 23% residual sugar and 8% alcohol and bottled in January, 2006.

Because of the late vintage, and rain at various stages during ripening and cluster formation, botrytis cinerea formed in several sections of our Scheurebe vineyard. The honeyed component contributed by the botrytis nicely enhances the aromatic complexity of the wine, and aromas of honeyed, syrupy stone fruit and pear linger as the wine finishes with bright acidity.

2005 Vintage Notes:
The 2005 vintage was unusually late due to mild temperatures that averaged between 70-80°. From August 1 to October 31, only 15 days exceeded 90°, and even then it never got hotter than 98°. Despite this, color and flavors developed early on, with good sugars, though acids took longer to develop in the ripening fruit.

The first grapes (Sauvignon Blanc) came in September 11th, exactly one month later than the previous year. The last time I remember a harvest being this late was in 1982, and before that 1974. However, fermenting juice showed great color, balance and flavor, similar to the cool growing seasons of ’91, ’94, ’95, and ’99.

Also unusual was the size of the harvest. A wet spring increased tonnage by an average of 30% over expectations, and given that the 2004 vintage came in at 40-50% under projections, there was a 70% swing between the two years, making 2005 yields seem even higher.

Depending on vineyard and crop balance, there will be variability in fruit quality. Grapes picked in October were more mature and not as soluble as fruit picked earlier, making it harder to extract tannins during fermentation. However we were extremely fortunate that the weather stayed dry and mild as long as it did, allowing fruit to avoid dehydration from conditions that were too warm, and rot from weather that was too wet. The one exception was the Eisrébe crop, from which we produce a high must weight dessert wine, and which benefited from the spread of botrytis cinerea, the “noble rot,” throughout the grape clusters.