Waterstone Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2012

Waterstone Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2012 is made from 82% Sauvignon Blanc, 18% Semillon

Vintage: 2012 proved to be a perfect growing season in Napa Valley. Near-ideal spring bud break, steady flowering, even fruit set and a lengthy stretch of warm days and cool nights provided textbook conditions for the vines. Optimum ripeness was easily achieved, bringing exceptional quality into the cellar. The wines are showing a smooth balance of acids and sugars, great depth of color, and beautiful aromatics. Yields were near-normal in quantity.

Vineyards: The grapes for this wine were grown in the Nichelini Vineyard in the Chiles Valley region of Napa Valley. The region, with its clay-loam and shale soils, favors a longer growing season with its higher elevation and persistent morning fogs.

Vinification: After whole-cluster pressing, the juice was fermented to dryness in stainless steel, and did not undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine was moved to neutral one-and two-year-old French Oak barrels for 90 days, where the lees were stirred routinely to increase yeast contact and add richness. Prior to bottling, the wine received minimal filtration and fining to preserve the fresh fruit flavors.

Tasting Notes: This crisp, floral Sauvignon Blanc is accented with lemon and tangerine notes balanced by soft herbal flavors. The minimal contact with oak provides some creamy textures that complement the wine’s bright acidity, making this an ideal food wine.

The Waterstone Wines Estate
In this time of multimillion-dollar vineyard estates and celebrity winemaking consultants, when it seems that financial backing has replaced skill as the key to success in enology, it is rare that a simple idea can give birth to wines that stand out for flavor and balance, rather than pedigree alone. A collaboration between veteran winemaker Philip Zorn and longtime wine executive Brent Shortridge, Waterstone Winery was formed in 2000 when the two men were introduced and discovered a shared interest in creating luxury wines at affordable prices. Bringing together their previously established relationships with Napa Valley growers and vintners, the pair set out to develop balanced wines of varietal character through intelligent sourcing. Preferring to focus on the wine itself rather than the accumulation of land and facilities, Zorn and Shortridge own no vineyards themselves, nor do they own the facility where their wines are made. Dedicated winemaking, strong relationships with top growers and long-term grape contracts are the keys to Waterstone’s quality and success.