2009 Occasio Sauvignon Blanc, Del Arroyo Vineyard, Livermore Valley
August 21st, 2010 for all Occasio Society wine club members.
August 27th, 2010 for general release
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Harvest Facts
Harvest date: August 29, 2009
Brix at harvest: 24.5
pH at harvest: 3.31
Background
Livermore Valley is the California home of Sauvignon Blanc, having been planted in the 1800s by Charles Wetmore with cuttings taken from the famous Chateau d’Yquem® vineyard in Bordeaux, France. Livermore’s gravely soil and moderate climate were the inspiration for these plantings, and for more than 100 years Livermore Valley has produced Sauvignon Blanc with the fresh acidity and minerality of its French ancestors while expressing the New World fruitiness typical of its Livermore home.
Vineyard
The 2009 Occasio Sauvignon Blanc was sourced entirely from Livermore’s Del Arroyo Vineyard, the highest vineyard location in the Livermore Valley. The altitude allows the vines to benefit from the long, warm days and marine influenced nights, as the fog sweeps in from San Francisco Bay. These warm days and cool nights, coupled with the indigenous soil, create the wonderful opportunity for crafting elegant, true to the varietal wines.
High on the valley’s southern boundary, Del Arroyo avoided the frost and fires that plagued the 2008 growing season in much of California. The growing season was ideal, with less than normal rainfall reducing the crop yield and allowing the grapes to achieve phenolic ripeness with high acidity and optimal sugar levels.
Winemaking
Grapes were picked in the cold, early morning hours of August 29. The grapes were pressed as whole clusters and introduced into stainless for settling. In keeping with the “sauvage” nature of the grape, fermentation was allowed to initiate with native yeasts. The fermentation temperatures were kept low (54 degrees) in order to retain the most volatile flavor components. The wine was racked from its lees at the end of fermentation, and aged in stainless until bottling on December 17, 2009. This Sauvignon Blanc is unoaked, and has not undergone secondary malolactic fermentation.
Accolades
- SILVER MEDAL WINNER – 2010 Indy International Wine Competition
- SILVER MEDAL WINNER – 2010 California State Fair