Washington Wines Gordon Brothers Winery Vineyards Tri-Cities Wineries Pasco | 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

2008 Sauvignon Blanc

07SauvBlanc_bottle

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Wine Enthusiast - 89
Light and fresh, this carries just a vague hint of barrel toast, but essentially it was done all in stainless. The fruit is clean and pretty, lightly candied, lightly tropical, with notes of sweet cracker, brisk acid, sweet grass and sweet herb. It gathers strength in the finish and holds on nicely. - P.G.

ESTATE GROWN — Columbia Valley

• COMPOSITION: 100% Sauvignon Blanc - Estate Grown
• pH: 3.46
• TA: 0.53g / 100 ml
• ALCOHOL: 13.5%
• RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.17 g/100mL
• BOTTLED: September 2009
• PRODUCTION: 940 cases

Vintage

The 2008 Vintage got off to a cold start with April setting record-low temperatures. This unusually cold spring resulted in a 2 week delay in bud break. Once spring released its icy grip, normal Columbia Valley summertime temperatures ensued with average daytime highs in the mid to upper 80’s and lows in the 50’s. The overall growing season was cloudier than 2007 but this seemed to have little impact on the development of the grapes. September of 2008 had the lowest precipitation on record with a mere 0.02 inches of rain for the month. The dry conditions helped ripen the grapes and harvest began on Sept 23rd.

Winemaking

We ripened our Sauvignon Blanc to 23-24 Brix with the goal of obtaining ripe fruit flavors, intense Sauvignon Blanc character, and a nice crisp acidity. The grapes were taken directly from the field to the press and the juice was then settled overnight at 50 Fahrenheit. 24 hours later we racked the juice to multiple smaller stainless steel tanks. Each one of these tanks was then inoculated with a different yeast stain. This use of multiple yeast strains enhances our estate vineyard’s unique character. After fermentation the individual cuvees were blended together and allowed to marry in the tank for a brief period prior to bottling.

Winemaker Comments

Bartlett pears, golden delicious apples, and fresh cut hay marry seamlessly in the nose of our Sauvignon Blanc. A luscious entry on the palate leads to floral notes blended with hints of asparagus topped off with a pear reduction. The lingering finish on this wine begs for another sip followed by a fresh baguette and some hard cheese.