Freemark Abbey Johannisberg Riesling Napa Valley Edelwein Gold(1999)

Vintage and Winemaker’s Notes:
Extended fruit maturity and slow botrytis development produced fruit highly concentrated in sugar, acidity, and flavor. Fermentation of Edelwein Gold is always challenging. It produced a wine of pure gold color with intense aromas of fruit blossoms, orange marmalade, and honey. In the mouth, the wine displays a rich viscosity, flavors of peach, marmalade, and apricots, all complimented by a perfect sweet-tart balance.

Growing Season Notes:
Rainfall was average, with most of it coming in February; some frost protection used at read more...the end of March. Some rain occurred in May, but did not seem to harm fruit set. A small amount of Riesling was selectively picked in September to cull out clean fruit and leave behind bunches with naturally occurring botrytis for this late-harvest wine. Extended fruit maturation led to very concentrated grapes.

Statistics:
# Varietal Composition: 100% White Riesling
# Vineyards: Red Barn Ranch (Rutherford)
# Fermentation: Stainless steel for 163 days at 50-60° F
# Aging: Stainless steel for 5 1/2 months
# Alcohol: 8.8%
# pH: 3.74
# Acid: 0.78 g/100 mL    (hide)