2021 “Jacobsen Ranch” Sauvignon Blanc

TASTING NOTES
Perhaps it is just that we spent 2021 dreaming of vacations, but the aroma of the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc transports us to a beach somewhere exotic, enjoying tropical guava, luscious green melon, crushed Thai lime leaf, followed by the refreshing salinity of a plunge in the sea. The flavors bring us right back to summer at home in California, pulling a juicy, perfect pear or slightly tart white peach from the tree. All we need is to open a bottle of this outdoors, and magically, we’re on holiday.

VOLCANIC VINEYARD SITE
The region surrounding our Obsidian Ridge Vineyard boasts the youngest and most diverse volcanic soils in the Mayacamas Mountains. The Kelsey Bench sits northwest of our estate, on a volcanic fan of red volcanic soils studded with obsidian rock. The Jacobsen Ranch is planted at 1,551 feet elevation on a lava flow. Our neighbor Larry Rogers is a long-time pear farmer, and personally delivers his outstanding Sauvignon Blanc grapes to us. His nineteen acres of Musque Clone Sauvignon Blanc are exposed to 10% more ultraviolet light than at sea level, and often experience 50 degree temperature swings in a single day, resulting in wines that achieve generous fruit flavors while retaining bracing acidity. This limited bottling is produced expressly for our wine club members, with limited availability to our visiting guests.

VINTAGE
The season began early with dry conditions, leading to very small bunches and berries that ripened well ahead of the average schedule. A vintage marked by very small yields and high flavor concentration and quality..

WINEMAKING
Grapes were harvested in the cool pre-dawn hours and pressed whole-cluster upon arrival at the winery. The juice was kept cold in tank throughout the fermentation process, which lasted several weeks. We bottled the wine only a few months after harvest in order to preserve the clean, bright flavors and lovely aromatics of this varietal.

Alex Beloz, Winemaker