2023 Alsatian Blend White

Tasting Notes

Winemaking math can be funny; sometimes when we blend, 2 plus 2 equals 7. It’s like a great recipe that explodes with flavor when certain ingredients are put together, or individuals coming together to form an awesome band—or even the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team. The result is greater than the sum of its parts. Our new Alsatian Blend white wine showcases this funny math. We took our mineral driven Pinot Gris, floral Gewurztraminer, plush Pinot Blanc, and linear Riesling, then forced them to play nice with each other. The result is expressive in a way that the individual wines don’t show on their own—they lift each other up to form something extraordinary. And that is some math we can get behind!

Description

Bouchaine’s 100-acre estate vineyard lies on the southern border of Napa Valley’s Carneros district, overlooking the San Francisco bay with the financial district in the distance. Fog, wind, and the cold night time temperatures of this unique geographical area lend a distinctive regional identity to our white wine varietals.

Growing Season
The 2023 growing season was a lesson in patience. The winery was set and ready to go at the end of August, when we typically begin harvest, but Mother Nature hit the brakes and forced us to relax until the end of September when our grapes were finally ready to pick. Conditions over spring and summer were beautiful in the vineyard but the typical heat we experience over Labor Day eluded us, leading to slower ripening on the vine. We all know “patience is a virtue” though, and our efforts were eventually rewarded with some phenomenal grapes that had been given a bit more time to develop. That extra time, coupled with the bountiful Carneros sunshine during the fall, helped produce wines of vibrant flavor and excellent texture. Patience may not always be our strongpoint since we’re always excited to share our wines with you, but in the end it was well worth the wait.

Vinification
Mineral driven Pinot Gris from concrete egg, perfumed and layered Riesling and Gewurztraminer from clay amphora, and succulent Pinot Blanc from neutral oak barrels were blended together to craft a fresh and energetic white wine.

Tech Sheet