Late Harvest Napa Valley 2009
On the nose: explosion of apple cider, apricot, quince paste, canned mango, fresh cut grass, honey, fresh basil and tea leaf
On the palate: tender entrance evolving on a soft mouth feel balanced with fresh acidity and touches of quince, apricot, pineapple lingering on tangerine, white nectarine, liquid flower honey and bitter orange
Blend:
Sauvignon Blanc 55%, Semillon 45%
In 2009 we had a very consistent season with stable temperatures. This gave us grapes with a little higher acidity due to the temperate season. Although, in October Napa Valley had a major tropical storm which followed by an intrusive storm two weeks later. This forced most winemakers to pick prior to the rain. At Alpha Omega we decided to let the fruit hang through the rain to obtain better tannic ripeness. Because we have a quadruple sorting system, we had the ability to sort out grapes that were not up to standards. Therefore, we had fewer grapes but perfect ripeness. Overall, the vintage is a little bit more Bordeaux-like with wines with a lower alcohol content and a little bit higher acidity. 2009 was a great year for Late Harvest, because it was perfect growing conditions for botrytis.
