2008 Selene "Hyde Vineyard" Sauvignon Blanc

Varietal Composition:
100% Sauvignon Blanc (Musque selection)

Vineyard:
Hyde Vineyards is located in the Carneros Region of Napa between Highway 12 and Old Sonoma Road. This is a relatively warm part of the Carneros, since it's further from the cooling influences of fog and wind from nearby San Francisco Bay. It also has good elevation above sea level, making the soils lighter in clay with better drainage. Selene has been sourcing grapes for this wine from Hyde Vineyards since 1992.

Vintage:
2008 was a season of extremes. California saw its second year of drought, causing dry soils to set the stage for an early budbreak. Then we had the worst frost season in probably 30 years. Although the Hyde Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc was not affected by the frost, uneven weather during bloom led to a very low crop, about 60% of normal. Summer was relatively cool but we did have a spike of heat at the end of August/beginning of September. Larry Hyde called around mid-August to say, "We got some teenagers out here," meaning of course that the Sauvignon Blanc was testing in the teens (in terms of sugar) and it was time to get out there and start sampling myself. It did end up coming in the last week of August, which is early but not as early as, say, 2004. The low yields led to extreme concentration of flavors with excellent acids.

Fermentation:
Grapes were whole-cluster pressed and the juice transferred into both new French oak (30%) and stainless steel barrels (70%) for fermentation. The wine remained in barrel on primary lees, gaining complexity, until February, when it was racked and bottled. There were no acid additions and no malolactic.

Tasting Notes:
Aromas have lots of concentrated fruit; white peach, nectarine, meyer lemon, asian pear, and honeydew melon, along with vanilla bean crème brulee and sage honey. Flavors in the mouth have very good impact and intensity, mirroring the qualities found in the nose, with a fine acidity and a long, viscous finish.