2007 RUDD SAUVIGNON BLANC

Our 2007 Rudd Sauvignon Blanc exhibits tremendous fruit expression of the terroir from which it comes. Our own Mt. Veeder vineyard, which is planted on steep hillside slopes at the top of the Mayacama mountain range, continues to mature and contributes an even higher proportion of the blend for this vintage. The small amount of Semillon comes from an old vineyard north of Calistoga that has intense fruit and very low yields.

The Sauvignon Blanc from Mt. Veeder comes from three different clones. Clone 1, the most traditional clone used in California, has classic acidity and structure, a Musque clone that delivers amazing floral aromatics and a special French clone 530 which has ripe melon and tropical notes and adds a rich viscosity to the wine.

The 2007 harvest season was a dry one and the spring and summer were warmer on average than the last two years. Our Sauvignon Blanc vineyard is planted on gravely clay loam soils with special rootstock that reduce excess vigor and eliminate over cropping. The vines tightly spaced at 4ft and cane pruned to further limit the amount of
fruit per vine. The harvest for 2007 was very cooperative with classic cool mornings and warm but not excessively hot afternoons. This allowed us to harvest in small batches over an extended period of time. We started picking the fruit on August 28 and finished on October 4th.

A percentage of the blend is fermented in concrete eggs, which allows us to keep the purity of the varietal without compromising the fresh acidity of the wines. We also ferment a portion of the wine in stainless barrels as well as wood barrels and the
combination of these three methods create our unique style. The wine was aged for 8 months and bottled unfiltered.