VINEYARD: Our Fumé Blanc is estate grown, meaning we control everything from the ground to the bottle. We feel this is essential to achieve the kind of quality, balance and consistency that is Grgich Hills’ hallmark. The grapes for this wine are grown at our cool American Canyon and Carneros vineyards that rest in the southern tip of Napa Valley, not far from San Pablo Bay, which spills into San Francisco Bay. The coolness controls vigor and allows the grapes to develop a crisp liveliness that is impossible to achieve in warmer areas. After a short crop in 2004, this vintage returned us to normal yields which, with a vigorous varietal like Sauvignon Blanc, helped the vines to be better balanced and produce rich flavors. We picked the grapes when their aromas, acidity and sugar were perfectly balanced.

THE WINE: We believe winemaking is an art, not just chemistry and technology, so we aim for a distinct Grgich Hills’ style of wine. We fermented 50% of the grapes in stainless steel tanks and 50% in 3-year-old oak barrels, using only naturally-occurring yeasts. We aged the wine four months in neutral barrels to allow the wonderful fruit to show, not mask it behind new oak. Our 2005 Fumé Blanc displays classic varietal flavors of grapefruit, lemongrass and a touch of minerality, a full mouth feel and long finish. This versatile, flavorful white wine is a great companion to a wide variety of food flavors and textures.