In 2008, Evelyn, our winemaker in Chile, harvested almost all the Sauvignon Blanc before I arrived for the harvest. While it was not a particularly warm vintage, the crop level in the Sauvignon Blanc was down almost 30%, which is why it ripened so quickly. When I arrived, most of it had already begun to ferment. And it all tasted delicious. Bravo to Evelyn, again.

When it was first suggested, several years ago, that Kingston add a Sauvignon Blanc to the lineup, I was resistant. It seemed somehow to detract from the focus on cool climate reds. Turns out I was wrong, and as I have learned subsequently, Casablanca is a special place for Sauvignon Blanc. While I think we are still best known for our Pinot Noir, sometimes I think that Sauvignon Blanc is the true star of the vineyard.

While both 2008 and 2007 gave us low yields in the vineyard, the way those low yields played out in the wines is quite different. The 2007 had a steely intensity that the 2008 does not have. In its place is a somewhat more gentle quality, still with plenty of the citrusy/minerally/spicy quality that seems to be definitive of the vineyard but with a mouthfeel that is, well, softer. I think it will probably open up more quickly than the 2007 did. Like always, Cariblanco strikes me as having one foot in the new world, with its vibrant fruitiness, and one foot in the old world, with the minerally and waxy notes, somewhat reminiscent of Sancerre.