2023 Semillon

The Growing Season

The 2023 harvest was one of the latest in recent memory, with the first bins coming in almost three weeks behind what is customarily normal for us due to cooler temperatures during spring and summer. Winter brought an unusual amount of rain, along with cold weather and wet soils that delayed, and then extended the bloom period. Veraison began around late July and proceeded slowly.  Yet, the cooler growing period allowed the grapes to mature gradually and also produced healthy canopies and increased vine health.  In the past year, Lake County saw a dramatic reversal going from severe drought conditions to one of the wettest winters on record, with the deepest Sierra Nevada snowpack in 40 years.  We are thrilled to see Clear Lake full again for the first time in several years and are excited that the vines were able to imbibe a significant amount of fresh rain water. Overall, 2023 will be known for being a high quality vintage with wines exhibiting beautifully complex flavors, outstanding balance and vibrant acidity and texture.

Winemaking

At the foot of Mount Konocti in Lake County in the Kelsey Bench AVA is a really special vineyard holding the oldest Semillon vines in the county. These older, trellised vines are thick like trees, but produce youthful, beautiful fruit of incredible quality and depth. Traditionally in Bordeaux, Semillon is blended into Sauvignon Blanc to help improve texture and we certainly use it for that. But it is also just so special that we had to bottle some on its own. It has incredibly delicate aromas of white flowers and pears and since this wine partially went through malolactic fermentation, it has a richness on the palate that leads to an ultra long finish which is divine.

The Land

The Kelsey Bench AVA (where the Las Lomas Vineyard resides) was originally created from a ten thousand-year-old pyroclastic flow that thundered out of Mt. Konocti during one of its spectacular eruptions. The terroir where this flow of super-heated rock and gas ended up in is the transition point between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the alluvial flood plain of the Clear Lake basin to the east. The soils in the vineyard reflect this transition, offering mildly rocky, volcanic elements mixed with alluvial loams. The vineyard sits at around 1400 ft. elevation and enjoys the natural cooling effects of the lake and nearby mountains to create a 50°F diurnal temperature shift that produces grapes that exhibit ideal acidity, fresh flavors and richly complex fruit characteristics.