Over the decades Sauvignon Blanc has been a hate/love relationship for me.  I used to hate making it, but the in the process of learning how to make it I began to love it.  

Not only did I gain a new appreciation for the variety, but the knowledge I gained on my Sauvignon Blanc journey has made me a better winemaker.

In my seventeen vintages as a winemaker, I have never had a fermentation behave like this one did.

Normally, what happens when you put a wine through a rigorous lees-stirring program is that you lose a lot of the fruit and the wine becomes more “bready”. I think because the wine finished fermentation after the lees stirring, it developed more fruit aromas. Our Traynor Family Vineyard Estate Chardonnay, while packed with biscuity, pastry notes and a round, rich, and soft mouthfeel, is still packed with fruit: it’s got plenty of ripe cantaloupe, honeydew melon, poached pear, and baked apples – not just a simple little chard!

Orange wine is being called the “new” fall wine, but interestingly enough, it’s has been around a lot longer than you think.