2009 J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

Cool and mild weather during the 2009 growing season set the stage for optimal Sauvignon Blanc flavor development. Mild conditions during flowering assured a good crop, and the long cool season allowed the grapes to mature to their full potential. To create a complex and delicate Sauvignon Blanc with herbal and exotic fruit flavors we picked the vineyard in two stages. Our first pick was on August 14th at 23.3° Brix, which gave us herbal, boxwood and gooseberry characters. The final harvest came on August 19th at 23.8° Brix, and produced flavors of grapefruit and passion fruit. The juices from each picking date were fermented separately; this allowed us to apply winemaking techniques that maximize the desired characteristics of each pick. For the 2009 vintage, we destemmed, pressed and settled the Sauvignon Blanc in tanks, followed by fermentation in 55-gallon stainless steel barrels. All winemaking was done in a very reductive environment (excluding oxygen) and the resultant blend of both picks is an elegant style of a delicately herbal and citrus-flavored Sauvignon Blanc.

Vineyards

Carol’s Vineyard is a thirty-four acre parcel located in north St. Helena in the Napa Valley, bounded 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 Blanc has grown.  The soils are very loamy and well drained, with a fair amount of gravel.  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, which preserves some of the natural herbaceous fruit character.

TECHNICAL DATA

Winemaker's Comments

J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard 2009 Sauvignon Blanc is a pale, youthful,
straw yellow color with a complex aroma of grapefruit, dried flowers,
gun flint and faint herbaceous freshness. On the palate, the wine has
excellent weight and bright acidity with clean fruit flavors reminiscent
of the aromas. Serve at 45 to 50 degrees.

 Jeff Meier, winemaker

Price: $24.00 750ml

Wine Fact Sheet: 

2009 J. Lohr Carol's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc fact sheet

Wine Fact Sheet Long: 

2009 J. Lohr Carol's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc long fact sheet

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Vineyard Series Wine Descriptors

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