Savagnin 2023

Stolpman’s Jura Inspired Savagnin
Inspired by the noble Overnoy, Tissot, and Macle vineyards in the Jura region of France, we began propagating these 3 strains of special Savagnin cuttings back in 2016.  In our arid Ballard Canyon conditions, the yields are tiny, and up until the release of the 2023 Savagnin, we only produced one combined barrel from the three prior vintages 2020, 2021, and 2022.  While the 8 years of development has been costly, the mono-vintage 2023 debut makes it all worth it, even if it is just one 500L puncheon from 2 acres.
Healthy late season rains pushed back bud-break and the growing season by 3-4 weeks.  We escaped the summer without any extreme heat events that would have accelerated ripening.  2023 turned out to be the latest harvest since 2011, and the slow, even sugar accumulation and phenolic ripening delivered a great vintage.  
Rich and coating with an effortless balance of acid bringing an air of refinement and finesse. The delicate aromas of orange blossom and white flower petals from the manicured garden waft into the interior of the palatial manor. Round and warm late afternoon sunshine reflects off of the wine’s fine white gravel backbone. The graceful largess of the wine has already enveloped any notes of new oak, and perhaps the wood will re-emerge as yet another layer to unfurl in the course of the forecasted 20-year lifespan of this most noble white wine.