2006 FRÖGENBEERENAUSLESE
Rutherford ~ Napa Valley
THE BLEND 100% Riesling 100% Rutherford
PRODUCTION 490 cases
RELEASE DATE Leap Day 2008
STATS
Harvest ~ October 25 & November 20. 32.0° brix at harvest. 9.7% alcohol. 3.14 pH. 7.1g/L total acidity. 9.8% residual sugar
A BRIEF HISTORY
Frögenbeerenauslese (FBA) may be a tongue-twister of sorts but we are excited to introduce our latest faux-German wine (replacing Leapfrögmilch) that is a Napa Valley interpretation of the famous German dessert wine known as Trockenbeerenauslese. Defined as “dry selected berries”, a genuine Trockenbeerenauslese is made from specially selected grapes that have been left on the vine to reach full maturity and that have been blessed by Mother Nature with the “Noble Rot” known as Botrytis cinera. With all these factors in place, the result is an exceptionally rare wine with rich concentrated flavors considered to be among the world’s premiere dessert wines.
In 2006 we had finally resigned ourselves to the fact that the 70-year-old vines that had given us Riesling for more than 15 years were nearing the end of their lives. The plan was to remove that vines at the end of harvest. But a funny thing happened on the way to the tractor...John Williams, owner and winemaker, noticed the arrival of the sought after “Nobel Rot”. The vines were spared for a year and the FBA was born. The following year in 2007 we found more Botrytis, so another year of FBA. So, as long as Mother Nature continues to bless this small vineyard block, then small amounts of FBA will continue to be made and a riesling vineyard that was planted when F.D.R. was president will live to see another harvest.
ABOUT THE WINE
The inaugural 2006 Frögenbeerenauslese turned out to be a rather classic 9 x 9 (9% residual sugar and 9% alcohol). The resulting wine shows bright aromas of caramelized peach and fig that waft over a bed of spice and white flowers. Rich — even viscous — flavors of candied apricot, honeycomb and citrus blossoms are balanced by a fresh minerality that keeps the wine lively on the palate. Try with a cheese plate for a new take on the classic wine-and-cheese pairing.
WINEMAKERS
John Williams and Paula Moschetti |
