Benessere Pinot Grigio Carneros 2003

Winemaker's Notes:

The reddish-gray (Grigio is Italian for "Gray") clusters of grapes were hand-picked on a cool, foggy morning in Carneros. They were hand-sorted and put directly in the press as whole clusters. This exceptionally flavorful juice was cold-settled for 24 hours prior to fermentation. Pinot Grigio is made best by cold fermentation in stainless tanks at 50-52 degrees F. A long, cool fermentation produces wine with delicate aromatics and varietal characteristics. Upon completion of the fermentation, the wine was transferred immediately to small, neutral French oak barrels, where it was allowed to rest for four months prior to bottling. This dual vineyard bottling is the result of much care and attention to detail. Pineapple, Honeysuckle, White Peach, and Mango are the first things to notice in the nose. In the mouth, the tropical fruit characters are apparent along with a mouth-coating ripeness and a lingering, yet clean, finish. Each taste cleanses the palate for your next bite of food. Our Pinot Grigio is at its best when chilled and served as an aperitif or with a wide range of foods ranging from Dayboat Scallops, Grilled Alaskan halibut, chicken breast as well as Brie cheese with San Francisco sourdough bread. The 2003 vintage and growing season was not normal. In fact, there has not been a normal vintage for many years. A late budbreak, followed by late spring rains, delayed the flowering and set of the fruit. A moderately cool summer foretold of a late harvest. However, a few late August and early September "blasts" of heat, coupled with extremely unseasonable thunder and lightning storms, brought the crop in on average of the same time as 2002. Two, beautiful vineyards on the Napa side of Carneros were the "birthplaces" for this wine. Carneros means "Ram" in Spanish and is the coolest region in the Napa Valley, located on the edge of the San Pablo bay.