Grgich Hills Estate Announces Release of New Sauvignon Blanc
Rutherford, CA – June 2022 – Grgich Hills Estate, a certified organic, award-winning, family-owned-and-operated winery, is pleased to announce the inaugural release of their Skin-Fermented Sauvignon Blanc, Miljenko’s Selection. Crafted by winemaker Ivo Jeramaz, this wine is an exciting, new take on a classic varietal.
Skin Fermented white wines have a long history, having been made for centuries in Slovenia and Italy’s Friuli/Venezia-Giulia region, as well as in the country of Georgia. Ivo has adapted these techniques to create a new expression of our cool climate Sauvignon Blanc here in Napa
”We are simply applying red winemaking techniques to white winemaking, by first destemming the clusters and then fermenting the juice on the skin. This ancient technique brings more nuanced flavors to the wine, so basically you have the luxurious texture and feeling of red wine, with the beautiful aromatics of white wine.” – Ivo Jeramaz
The grapes used to make this wine were dry farmed and handpicked from our estate vineyards in American Canyon and Carneros located at the southern tip of Napa Valley, near the San Francisco Bay. This area is known for its cool climate, fog and clay soils which delays ripening, and therefore yields higher quality, more concentrated fruit with exceptional acidity, impossible to achieve in warmer areas.
The grapes were then cold fermented with their skins in stainless steel tanks for two weeks, resulting in an elegant, aromatic, and full-bodied wine finished with slight soft tannins, like red wines, but maintaining the crisp acidity and luscious aromatics of white wines. These complex characteristics are only achievable when the wine is allowed to ferment on the skins for a period of time. This inaugural 2020 Skin Fermented Sauvignon Blanc displays fruity aromas of lychee, grapefruit, and dried pineapple. The increased tannins in the wine lead to a long, persistent finish with a layered and textured complexity.
This limited-production wine is available for purchase online at www.grgich.com and at the tasting room in Rutherford, Napa Valley.
About Grgich Hills Estate
Family-owned and operated since 1977, Grgich Hills Estate is devoted to the art of winemaking and sustainable and regenerative farming. Today, we pursue the same vision of winemaking, cultivation, and hospitality passed down for generations. Visit our Rutherford winery, home to award-winning wines, renowned for their elegance, balance, and food-friendliness, for a seated tasting of our current releases. For more information, please visit www.grgich.com.