Vineyard notes
In the late 80's, I searched for a vineyard that could produce Sauvignon Blanc exhibiting tropical fruit aromas in contrast to the then popular grassy, herbaceous style. Sauvignon Blancs that were winning competitions at that time did not appeal to me, reminding me of smoked peat, like single malt Scotch whiskies. I found what I was looking for in the Redwood Valley region, which has since earned the distinction of having its own appellation. Since then, Fieldbrook Sauvignon Blancs have earned a host of awards: At the State Fair, Best Sauvignon Blanc of Region as well as Best wine of Region. The Wine Spectator rated one of our vintages as one of the top ten in their international survey. We have made Sauvignon Blanc from several vineyards in Redwood Valley. Elizabeth Vineyard is the highest and abuts the untillable hills above.x
Production notes
Our process with these grapes is to gently press the juice while monitoring pH. Each year, after the free run, we press lightly for two cycles. When the pH begins to climb, we stop pressing. Although the pommace is quite wet and could have supplied more juice, we cart it off to our garden. It should produce great potatoes! The juice is chilled and the settled juice transferred to another tank for cold fermentation which lasts five to six weeks. When the residual sugar reaches about 0.5%, we turn on the chiller to stop the fermentation. At this point, the wine is transferred to neutral oak where it begins to age on its lees, stirred weekly. This wine was bottled in early Spring.
Awards
Over the past 20 years, our wines made from Redwood Valley Sauvignon Blanc have earned the following awards.