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Appellation: |
Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District |
Vineyard: |
Miravalle |
Clones: |
Spottswoode |
Varietal: |
Sauvignon Blanc 100% |
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Winemaker Notes |
| Light straw yellow, floral aromas, subtle bouquet, great
structure and acidity, rich balanced finish. |
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The 1998 Vintage |
| After a wet winter, the growing
season began late with heavy rain and storms lasting
into mid-June. In this late Spring, bud break
was approximately a month behind the previous year. Growth was slow in the cool spring and bloom remained
a month behind schedule. Intermittent rain during
late May and June, right in the middle of bloom, caused
"shatter" in many blocks. It is partially
to blame for the low yields and miniscule production
of 1998 Sauvignon Blanc.
Despite the cool June, things
turned warm in July. On one hot day we were hurt
severely by sun burning, as were all Napa Valley vineyards. Losses at Miravalle, ranged from 10 to 100% depending
on grape variety, but the Sauvignon Blanc survived in
good shape. The summer remained warm with a few
more hot spells.
Veraison was irregular and ripening
came late, about 30 to 40 days later than the previous
year. This was helpful for the whites, the 98
Sauvignon Blanc showed wonderful grape composition at
harvest. The clean juice was fermented entirely
in new barrels and left sur lie until bottling, 11 months
later. |
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Spring Mountain Sauvignon Blanc |
| First produced in 1993, the grapes now come from two of our vineyards: La Perla and Miravalle, the property originally planted by Tiburcio Parrott in 1885. Miravalle is one of the warmest areas
on the estate, which ensures fully ripened grapes. La Perla is planted meter by meter (high density) and gobelet trained. This wine expresses a richness along with a backbone that enables
this wine to develop complexity for several years after its original release. |
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Spring Mountain Vineyard |
| Originally four individual historic Napa Valley properties, Miravalle, La Perla, Alba, and Chevalier have now been combined to create an 850 acre estate of forest and vineyard on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain overlooking the small town of Saint Helena. Over 225 acres of the estate are planted to vine, creating 135 separate hillside vineyard blocks each with its own unique soil, exposure, and microclimate. The vineyard is planted in densities of 4,000 vines per acre and trained to the ancient gobelet form, a vertical trellising method that was invented in an earlier millennium by the Romans. |
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