Robléon Sauvignon Blanc 2010

McGinley Vineyard
Santa Ynez Valley

$30/750ml bottle

 The Wine
One of the most concentrated, expressive sauvignon blancs we have ever experienced, this wine leaps out of the glass with aromas of fresh melon, grapefruit and gooseberry.  On the palate, it is hugely flavorful and rich, offering not only layered tropical fruit flavors, but notes of spice and mineral.  The structure of the wine is all about its acidity, keeping the wine focused, clean and lively on the palate.  A full speed ahead, blockbuster of a sauvignon blanc.

The Vintage and Vineyards
Located in the Happy Canyon area of the Santa Ynez Valley, The McGinley (formerly Westerly) Vineyard enjoys somewhat warmer days than the rest of the valley while still being subject to cool marine temperatures each evening.  These wide temperature swings are ideal for sauvignon blanc, allowing for full development of flavors while preserving the varieties natural acidity.  Aggressive efforts in the vineyard to insure proper fruit set, manage the canopy and drop excess crop before veraison generally result in yields of 2.5 - 3 tons per acre, and typically, clusters and berries are small, increasing concentration of flavors. The 2010 growing season began with a cool late spring putting the vintage behind.  June came and the Marine layer that usually burns off by mid month just would not go away.  July was then downright cold, causing us to wonder if anything was going to ripen in this year.  Finally, in August summer arrived, and the warm days got warmer bringing the fruit along nicely.  We ended harvesting about 10 days behind normal in late September, and the fruit was excellent.

In The Winery
The fruit was whole cluster pressed into stainless steel tanks and, after settling, was fermented using a yeast strain known for promoting expressive aromatics and forward tropical fruit flavors. The fruit was healthy, full of nutrients and so fermentation went off without a hitch and was completed within just about five week’s time.  Once dry, the wine was transferred to Neutral French Oak Barrels for aging.  The wine was fined and filtered before bottling on April 25, 2011

Technical Data
Vineyards: McGinley Vineyard (Happy Canyon)
Harvest: September 22, 2010
Cooperage: 100% French Oak (neutral)
pH: 3.48
Alcohol: 13.4%
Production: 75 cases