Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Clink, clink, clink....

If you were standing on our crushpad at exactly 8:03AM this morning, that's the sound that would have flooded your ears. Today we bottled our 2009 Estate Sauvignon Blanc, and boy were we excited to get this beautiful wine into bottle! 2008 was our first vintage for Sauvignon Blanc, and while we are long known for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, our Sav Blanc is quickly picking up a following of its own. Our winemaker Brian Brown and several employees agree that this years bottling is even better than last, which, if you've tried our '08 Sav Blanc, you know how hard it is to top!

The vineyard 4.87-acre vineyard was planted in 2005 on our property bordering the Napa River. These fertile soils mean abundant vine growth and we help to control vigor with the Fletcher-Lyre split canopy trellising system. The grapes were harvested the last week of August and the first week of September, just before the big rains! The brix averaged about 24.8 degrees.

We use 100% stainless steel on our Sauvignon Blanc to make sure the crisp, refreshing fruit flavors of this distinct varietal shine through. Fermentation begins in tank, and when there is just a small amount of sugar left in the juice, we move to stainless steel barrels to finish the fermenting process. These unique barrels allow more surface area contact with the wine and with the lees. Although we do not stir the lees (or batonnage as the French would say), the contact with the lees on the sides of the barrel offers a hint of softness to the wine, while still allowing the fruit and acidity to remain bright.

Similar to the '08, the '09 Sauvignon Blanc promises those stone fruit and Meyer lemon zest characteristics that we love, and the lingering acidity makes it perfect to enjoy with your favorite summer dishes.

We will be releasing the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc in the Spring to our Wine Lovers members first, of course! If you are not already a member with us but you know you love our wines, what are you waiting for? Take a look at what we have to offer! You will definitely want first grabs at this wine that is truly expressive of Round Pond's Estate! Cheers!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Welcome to the World of Round Pond!

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the Round Pond blog! This will be the place to go when you want to read up on the latest goings-on at our Estate. Recipes, upcoming events, wine reviews, new releases... this is your source for everything Round Pond! We will even let you get to know our family a little better so you can see what day-to-day life is really like at the winery and olive mill.

Of course our website is always a great source for information about us, but this blog is intended to give you a more personal look into who we really are, and what we really do!

Hope you will subscribe and follow along with our adventures. We're looking forward to an exciting year!

Cheers!