The Goal: Floral, crisp, delightful Sauvignon Blanc
This wine marks the second release for Petroni Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. The intention was to make a wine with floral, fruitful, easy-to-drink appeal. Our stylistic approach was more of New Zealand meets the Loire than pure Bordeaux Blanc.
The Vineyard:
Giaquinto Vineyard
We found an unbelievable vineyard source for Sauvignon Blanc on Hall Rd. Vineyard. It is a little north and west of Santa Rosa in the Russian River appellation, just south of where the river sweeps west out to the Ocean. This part of the Russian River is a unique micro-climate, very cool and foggy in its lowland stretches. Someday, it may be its own appellation called “The Laguna District”, for the lagoon that rests there through most of the year. It is one of
the best sources for Sauvignon Blanc in America.
It is foggy in the morning, warm in the early afternoon and often wind-swept in the evening, tuning cool and damp in the night. Soils are deep and loamy, with moderate to little rocks present. Sauvignon Blanc just thrives in these conditions.
The
Vintage: 2006 What a year!
A bumper crop of fully ripe grapes with classic technical numbers and great flavor greeted us in 2006. This is
one of the largest and most successful harvests in California’s history. Our
Sauvignon Blanc grapes came in just perfect condition. A long harvest provided ample time to slowly ripen to optimal levels.
In the Cellar: Rich fruit and
racy acidity
This wine was produced with classic techniques: a long
slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks and aged on the lees for six months in mostly older French oak barrels. It
was not allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation to preserve the crisp, acidic backbone.
The Wine: Remarkable
What stands out with this Sauvignon Blanc is the deep core of grapefruit
and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. This wine’s remarkable strength lies in the subtle tones around that
grapefruit; its acidity, its aroma, its texture all play off this unmistakable and breathtaking central core. Drink it over the course
of 2007 through Spring 2008.
2006 Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Harvest: September 20-22 2006
Fermentation: 100% tank fermented with native yeast
Aging: Six months in new and used French Oak
Production: 840 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.38
TA: 0.67 g/100mL
