|
2019 Moraga Sauvignon Blanc Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
This year of lockdown we haven’t seen as many friends at Moraga as we would have liked, but we have been visited by eagles, hawks and quails. We have some owls living here and even spotted a mountain lion one night!
Our Moraga white wine is produced from Sauvignon Blanc grapes that are picked in a very narrow window of time, when the flavors shift from grapefruit zest to peach, nectarine, and tropical fruit. The grapes are gently pressed and the juice is cold – settled, then racked into specially built stainless steel barrels that maximize lees contact. Initially, about 20 percent of the juice is fermented in new French oak barrels and is then used to top up the stainless steel barrels as the fermentation progresses. Ultimately, the wine receives an imperceptible kiss of oak during fermentation, but is aged solely in stainless steel barrels in order to preserve the beautiful fruit and refreshing acidity. Golden in the glass, it begins with lush aroma of white peach, nectarine and white flowers. The palate opens with a flash of acidity followed by smooth waves of honey-dusted nectarine and seared stone fruit. The exotic fruit and mineral characteristics of our vineyard dominate the flavor profile. The wine is an atypically long-lived Sauvignon Blanc.
Carlos Contreras, Vineyard Manager
|