2005 Carol's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

Purchase 2005 Carol's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

VINTAGE
The vintage of 2005 can be characterized by one word – ‘refreshing.’ Refreshing in that we had normal rainfall after two years of drought, and warm weather without heat storms at the end of the vintage, creating a frenzied dash to harvest – a year that put calm back into winemaking. This vintage marks the fifth year of production of J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, and a year in which I have put four years of learning to good use. We hand harvested an early pick at 20.2º Brix on August 16th to capture some of the fresh herbaceous essence and bracing acidity, followed by a second and final harvest nine days later on August 25th at 22.6º Brix with riper, citrus-based flavors. The early pick Sauvignon Blanc was destemmed, crushed and held on the skins for twenty-four hours prior to pressing, and was fermented in a combination of stainless steel barrels and tank. The second harvest was destemmed, pressed and settled in tank and was fermented in a combination of French oak barrels and a stainless steel tank. All winemaking was done in a very reductive environment (excluding oxygen) and the resultant wine is an elegant style of citrus-influenced Sauvignon Blanc.

VINEYARDS
Carol’s Vineyard is a thirty-four acre parcel located in northern St. Helena in the Napa Valley. It is bound on the east by the Napa River and on the north by Pratt Avenue. Sauvignon Blanc represents 10.88 acres of Carol’s Vineyard and is planted in the eastern portion of the vineyard adjacent to the Napa River, where outstanding Sauvignon Blancs have been grown. The soils are very loamy with a fair amount of gravel, and are very well drained. The Clone 1 Sauvignon Blanc is grown on a quadrilateral cordon trellis to control vine vigor, preserving a single leaf layer in the south exposed fruit zone, providing only dappled sun exposure to the grape clusters – preserving some of the natural herbaceous fruit character.

TECHNICAL DATA

Origin: Carol’s Vineyard, Napa Valley AVA
Composition: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Harvest Dates: August 16th and 25th 2005
Process: Hand harvested, early morning, crushed and pressed in the Napa
Valley
Harvest Chemistries;
First Harvest: 20.2° Brix average, pH=3.28, Total Acidity 0.72 g/100 ml
Second Harvest: 22.6º Brix average, pH=3.33, Total Acidity 0.63 g/100 ml
Vinification;
Yeast: Pasteur Champagne
Skin Contact: 23.2% of destemmed, crushed fruit for 24 hours at 50°F
Fermentation: 82.3% in stainless steel tank, 7.1% in stainless steel barrels and 10.6% in new and second-fill Francois Frères French oak barrels
Maturation: 7 months in stainless steel and barrel on light lees
Post-Maturation: Racked and pad filtered, prior to bottling
Bottling Chemistries:
pH: 3.32
Total Acidity: 0.65g/l00 ml
Alcohol: 13.24% by volume
Residual sugar: Dry
Production: 2476 cases

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS
The 2005 J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is a youthful, brassy yellow color with a very inviting grapefruit, dried flower, passion fruit and faint cut grass herbaceous freshness. On the palate, the wine has a bright acidity with clean flavors reminiscent of the aromas – grapefruit, dried flowers and a slight herbaceousness - making the Carol’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc an excellent accompaniment to sautéed or grilled seafood or poultry. Serve at 45 to 50 degrees.
Jeff Meier, vice president of winemaking

Purchase 2005 Carol's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

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