2009Compass® Sauvignon Blanc Wine

Grapes for our Sauvignon Blanc were drawn from primarily from vineyards in the Central Coast's Monterey County regions. In these growing areas, bright, sunny days and wide day-to-night temperature swings allow the grapes to spend extra hang time on the vine. These conditions allow grapes to reach full ripeness, creating wines with complex flavors balanced by crisp acidity.

Vintage
2009 started off with warm and dry weather. Through most of the rest of the growing season, the weather was on the cooler side, without many heat spikes in July and August, allowing flavor development in the grapes while maintaining good acidity levels. Our grapes were picked early in the harvest, during the last week of August and the first week of September, when a heat spell brought the grapes to full ripeness. The rains came early, however, when on October 13th, an 18-hour downpour dumped 6-10 inches of rain in coastal growing areas, followed by rain on and off for the remainder of harvest. There was advance notice of the rains and 75-80% of the grapes were harvested in time. Our Sauvignon Blanc, harvested well before the rainstorms hit, displays elegance and crispness that are hallmarks of the best wines of this vintage.

Winemaking
The wine was fermented in stainless steel without the use of any oak and with neutral yeasts, to preserve the aromatic and floral aromas and capture the essence of the Sauvignon Blanc fruit. The palate of grapes from various coastal regions in the wine provided a full spectrum of Sauvignon Blanc varietal characteristics, ranging from melon and fig flavors to lemon grass and zesty citrus.