Bernardus Sauvignon Blanc Griva Vineyard 2008

Michael Griva planted this special vineyard for Bernardus in the Arroyo Seco appellation, which sits just south of the renowned Santa Lucia Highlands in the Salinas Valley. The soils are very sandy and rocky which, along with the sunny, breezy weather, produce grapes with pronounced varietal character accented by a note of minerality. The Griva Sauvignon Blanc vineyard is planted exclusively with the Musqué clone of SB which is prized for its especially intense aromas and flavors.

2008 was an excellent year for the Griva vineyard from the spring right through to picking in September. We experienced very low yields in 2008 which presented us with very intensely flavored grapes. We began picking on September 4th and continued picking through four successive pickings, finishing on October 16th. This gave us a wide range of ripeness levels from which to make our final blend.

Our 2008 Griva Sauvignon Blanc exhibits bright aromas of gooseberry and grapefruit, accented by tropical fruit notes, minerals and fresh grass. The flavors exude ripe citrus and gooseberry, supported by a long, rich finish.