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Thunderbolt 2007
A I R F I E L D
Thunderbolt 2007
Vineyard: Grapes for this blend were sourced from aged Sauvi-
gnon Blanc vines & newly planted Semillon vines. The Sauvignon
Blanc block was planted in the late 70s. It is located south of the
old WWII airplane hangers & it is situated with a southwesterly
row orientation. The soil is classified as Warden silty loam.. The
trellis configuration is very unique -- it is a double curtain system
with one cordon wire at three feet & another at six feet. This field,
if left to itself, consistently will yield 5-7 tons/acre. The canopy
has a natural sprawl that allows for dappled sunlight to contact
each cluster. Throughout the growing season, shoot positioning &
leafing are conducted to achieve optimal airflow & light exposure
to each cluster. The flavor profile goals for this year were for the
south canopy side to have high sun exposure to produce ripe
melon, passion fruit flavors. The north side was left unleafed to
accentuate bell pepper & grassy aromatics. The Semillon was
planted in 2005. This block is located on the original site of the
main runway. It has a southwest orientation. The young vines
were cropped at a very low level to facilitate the blend.
Fermentation: I was particularly excited about this wine since it
was my first white blend. The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon were
pressed off together. After a gentle juice fining the wine was
racked and inoculated. After inoculation, 25% of this wine was
put to barrel. (50% new). The wine was only left in barrel for just
over a month. Fermentation lasted 18 days. This wine did not go
through Malo-lactic fermentation to maintain its acidity.
Maturation/bottling: Once the wine was completely back in
stainless steel tank, it remained their until bottling. The wine was
cold and heat stabilized and then sterile filtered prior to bottling.
Winemakers notes by:
COLOR

Pale straw.
NOSE

Exudes trademark

Sauvignon Blanc

characteristics of

passionfruit, cut

grass, & gooseberry.
PALATE

Dry, crisp & refreshing

with enhanced texture

& mouthfeel from the

Semillon blend.
FOOD

Try this with Greek &

Caesar salads, crab

cakes, & artichoke dip.
VINEYARD REGION
Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
VINTAGE
Excellent ripening conditions during summer of 07. Steady

supply of warm sunny days & cool nights. Daytime highs

were in the 80s to 90s. Evening lows hovered around the 50s.

These conditions led to quick sugar accumulation while

maintaining ample acidity. As a result, we obtained

well-balanced wines with optimal expression of fruit.
BLEND
73% Sauvignon Blanc, 27% Semillon
HARVEST DATE
September 7, 2007
HARVEST METHOD
Handpicked
HARVEST BRIX
22.6 brix
WINE ANALYSIS
14.3% Alcohol

8.6 g/L TA

3.13 pH
RESIDUAL SUGAR
DRY
CASE PRODUCTION
272 Cases
PEAK DRINKING
Now through 2009