Andrew Rich Sauvignon Blanc Croft Vineyard 08
Andrew Rich Sauvignon Blanc possesses the Croft Vineyard's signature notes of pineapple, guava, passion fruit, citrus, and just a hint of gooseberry. It is rich, round, with complex notes of mineral and fresh spring water in the finish. Perpetual favorite, sells out quickly. Classic summer sipper, with the sophistication to work well with fine cuisine.
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Prior vintage notes
From Andrew: "Yes, that's a Stelvin closure, otherwise known as a screwcap. Wanna make something of it? In the interest of eliminating corked bottles, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. All responses will be considered.
But on to the wine. The Croft Sauvignon is always the last to be picked, and I'm usually waiting for the grapes to get ripe while hoping to beat the autumn rains. This year it caught me by surprise. When I went to check sugars-thinking we were about a week away from picking-I found that the grapes were pushing 24 Brix. We picked the next day.
Because of the grapes' superb ripeness, I changed my fermentation protocol a bit. For the first time, 2/3 of the juice was fermented in tank, while the remainder fermented, as usual, in neutral barrels. Also as usual, fermentation was cool and slow, creeping along until finally giving up the ghost at about 1% residual sugar. Not to worry, though, the Croft fruit's typically searing acidity is again present, keeping the palate crisp and clean and racy. The wine possesses this vineyard's signature notes of pineapple, guava, passion fruit, citrus, and just a hint of gooseberry. It is rich, round, mineral, and long-sui generis Sauvignon. Serve very cool with mild cheeses-especially goat-or shellfish.
