2017 Moraga White
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2017 Moraga Sauvignon Blanc The 2017 growing season brought another year of drought and record heat to Los Angeles. Fortunately, the heat was generalized and not punctuated by any truly extreme weather events that caused damage to the fruit or unreasonably reduced yields. The vineyard crew performed their usual magic in the vineyard, utilizing precision canopy management, moderating fruit load, and growing some of the best Sauvignon blanc on the planet. We picked all of the fruit September 1st, slightly earlier than what we have come to see as “normal”, but at slightly lower sugars than we often see. We gently pressed the grapes and let the juice settle in a single tank for a couple of days before racking it off of the grape solids, then used 20% of the juice to fill brand new French oak barrels for fermentation. The other 80% went into stainless steel barrels for fermentation. We made a conscious effort to oxidize the juice in order to greatly reduce the oxidation potential of the wine. The wine was fermented by relying on the native yeast at Moraga. After two and-a-half weeks, the fermenting juice in the wooden barrels was added to the stainless-steel barrels to complete the fermentation. The aromas of the 2017 Moraga White Wine are immediately familiar to anyone who knows Moraga – a bit of peach tossed with melon, citrus peel, honeysuckle, and pineapple, all seamlessly melded into a complex nose. The entry is refreshing and clean, with flavors that accurately mirror the aromas. Texturally, this is an exceptional wine that is rich, round, and voluptuous. The palate finishes with a mouth-watering, persistent sensation. Moraga is one of the most unique wine estates on the planet and produces some of the most singular wines we know. The fault-line location that has created one-of-a-kind geology, along with Moraga’s proximity to cool Santa Monica Bay and the mild weather that it generates makes for a terroir that exists nowhere else. Our goal is to capture that essence of place and deftly capture it in a bottle. We hope that you appreciate and truly enjoy the fruits of our efforts.
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