Vintage
In 2004, an unusually warm late winter, consistently mild
spring and summer weather, and several late-summer heat spells resulted
in one of the earliest Napa Valley harvests on record. Although fast
and furious, the early start to the season and lower-than-normal crop
loads produced grape clusters with small berries and ripe flavors, yielding
wines with impressive concentration, depth and structure.
Vineyards
Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc is produced primarily
from grapes grown in our Napa Valley estate vineyards in Rutherford,
as well as from vineyards in St. Helena and Calistoga to the north.
These mid- and up-valley sites deliver fruit of great character, enabling
us to produce a crisp, full-bodied, complex style of Sauvignon Blanc.
For additional complexity, we blend in small amounts of Semillon and
Sauvignon Musqué, the latter an especially aromatic clone of
the Sauvignon variety. Reflecting a notably early harvest, the grapes
were picked between August 12th and September 10th. With the 2004 vintage,
we returned to night harvesting by hand.
Winemaking
To ensure fresh, pure juice, the grapes were hand-harvested
during the night and early morning hours, whole cluster pressed, and
cold-settled in tank for 36 hours. A majority of the juice was then
fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve the varietal intensity
provided by our many fine vineyards while a small portion was barrel-fermented
in older oak to round and soften the final blend. To enhance complexity,
a small fraction was allowed to ferment with native yeasts, which accentuate
the characteristics of individual vineyards. Overall, 77% of the wine
was aged four months in one and two-year-old French oak barrels, before
blending and bottling in March, 2005.
Tasting Notes
Our 2004 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a near-textbook
rendition of the variety's most appealing characteristics. Fresh, brisk
aromas of lime, kiwi, grapefruit, gooseberry and hay introduce a medium-to-full-bodied
palate of impressive weight, balance and intensity. The wine's vibrant
citrus, guava and melon flavors benefit from a firm underpinning of
acidity and a refreshing minerality that asserts itself in the finish,
providing structure and counterpoint to the wine's rich fruit. This
classic Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc will provide great drinking pleasure
over the next 2-3 years, on its own or with a wide range of seafood,
poultry, and salad dishes.
