VINEYARDS AND WINEMAKING:
Grapes from Rancho Chimiles vineyard in Wooden Valley (50%), Bravo Zulu in Oak Knoll (16%), Solari in Calistoga (15%) and Danika Ranch (7%) form the backbone of this wine. Oak Knoll fruit brings spicy peach, guava and grapefruit notes to the mix while the Rancho Chimiles Sauvignon grapes lend racy citrus, tropical fruit and mineral notes to the wine. Our long-time grower Terry Wilson farms Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musque at Rancho Chimiles for this wine. The juice was fermented at cool temperatures in a mix of stainless steel (43%) and neutral French oak barrels (57%). The wine was aged on light lees for eight months and was stirred every two weeks, providing some roundness to the wine’s texture.
VINTAGE:
A dry and hot growing season, coupled with a global pandemic, and multiple wildfires made 2020 a year we won’t forget. Due to the dry winter, we started more tillage than normal in February to preserve soil moisture and reduce competition. Rain right at bloom interrupted fruit set and provided a “natural fruit thinning” that brought the crop in balance relative to the dry soil conditions. We were very excited during the heart of the growing season, as vines were in balance, and the timing of impactful viticulture practices (leafing, crop adjustment, etc.) was nearly perfect. Several heat events, including a three-day heat spike over Labor Day weekend with temperatures over 115 degrees throughout the Napa Valley, led to an early harvest. Once harvest hit, we started picking fast and furious to limit the effects of lingering wildfire smoke from the LNU Complex Wildfire while implementing strict COVID-19 protocols to ensure worker safety. When things finally started to settle down, another tragic round of wildfires erupted with the Glass Fire Complex. Despite the season’s challenges, we are very pleased with the resulting wines from the 2020 vintage (although there won’t be as many bottles) to carry our legacy forward.
WINE:
The 2020 AVETA Sauvignon Blanc offers fragrant aromas of stone fruit, papaya, tangerine, lemongrass and a hint of fresh grass. The wine has a flavorful and lively mouthfeel, racy acidity and a lingering aftertaste of citrus and honey. Try pairing AVETA with fresh fish ceviche, crab cakes or grilled oysters with mignonette sauce.
- Blend:
- 83% Sauvignon Blanc
- 13% Sauvignon Musque (a clonal variant of Sauvignon Blanc)
- 3% Semillon
- 1% Muscat Canelli
- Barrel Aging: 8 months sur lies 74% barrel aged in older French oak
- Fermentation: 57% barrel; 43% stainless steel
- Alcohol: 14.0%
- pH: 3.14
- TA: 0.64 g/100ml