L'Ecole #41 Semillon "Fries Vineyard" 04
The rich flavors of this spicy Semillon are layered with tiers of ripe pear, fresh fig, apricot, and honeydew melon enveloped in a sweet ginger and nutmeg finish.
100% Semillon, Fries Desert Wind Vineyard, Wahluke SlopeThe Fries Vineyard continues to prove itself as an exceptional vineyard site for Semillon. The rich intensity of fruit has warranted the special vineyard designation for this wine.
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100% Semillon
Vineyard: Fries Vineyard
Winemaker
Comments: The Fries Vineyard continues to prove itself as an exceptional vineyard site for Semillon. The Wahluke Slope is the south facing slope off the Saddle Mountains. With sandy silty soils, warm day temperatures and cool night air rolling off the mountains, we achieve ripe fruit intensity with high natural acidity. Since 1996, this wine has been simply too delicious not to bottle on its own.
Harvest: The cool 2005 Spring provided perfect conditions for balanced tissue regeneration and canopy growth on the heels of the hard 2004 Winter. Additional thinning efforts were required to balance cluster development and fruit uniformity after a cooler fruit set in June. Normal summer sunshine and heat units led to an awesome late season ripening period, with intense sunshine and little or no rain. The overall season crop load was lower than normal, at 2 ? to 3 tons per acre. Our traditional cool long harvest resulted in fabulous fruit quality, with bright clean aromatics and acidity in the whites and vibrant extraction and rich color in the red wines.
Technical: The Semillon was harvested on September 10th, 2005 at 25.6% Brix, 3.22 pH, and 0.67 grams/100 ml acidity. Bottled 424 cases June 9th, 2006; 3.21 pH, acid 0.68 g/100ml, 14.5% alcohol by volume, <0.2% residual sugar
Description: This crisp, delicate, aromatic gem shows its marvelous dried fruit and apricot flavors with spicy floral and honeysuckle aromas and hints of fresh fig, kiwi and apple on a clean, zesty finish.
Vinification: The grapes were lightly whole-cluster pressed to tank and allowed to settle. The juice was then racked off the solids into new (25%) and two to three year old French oak barrels where it was then inoculated with yeast. It completed a slow but steady primary fermentation followed by secondary malolactic fermentation. The wine aged seven months in barrel with extended aging on the yeast lees.
