2016 White Aero Port, Sonoma Valley

Beautiful aromatics jump out of the glass — white lilies, gardenia, mandarin orange and spiced pear. A delightfully lifted palate of lychee, kumquat and apricot skin delivers a fresh take on this elegant sipper.

Winemaker’s Notes

We use two vineyards for the grape source of our white Aero Port wine. The Viognier is sourced from Landa Vineyard at the base of the Mayacamas in Sonoma Valley where warm afternoons lead to cool evenings are ideal conditions for this Rhône varietal. The Muscat is grown on our estate located in the overlapping AVAs of Sonoma Valley and Carneros.

Situated at the base of the gentle sloping foothills which separate Sonoma and Petaluma, the estate benefits from the breezes carried in via the Petaluma Wind Gap. The vineyard is bathed in cooling fog in the summertime adding beautiful acidity and brightness to the wine. Anabatic winds force the vines to struggle, contributing to rich fruit characteristics in the grapes.

Technical Details

Type

Dessert

Varietal

Port

Region

California

Appellation

Sonoma Valley

Vintage

2016

Vineyard

Estate, Landa

Harvest Date

2016-09-09

Aging

Aged in neutral French oak barrels for 22 months.

Fermentation

All of the grapes are picked at normal ripeness levels, not as late harvest. Viognier and Muscat are fermented on skins. Fermentation is stopped at the half way point by adding an eau di vie of freshly distilled Sauvignon Blanc from Germain-Robin. Fermentation slows and then the wine was pressed three days later.

Alcohol

17.6%

pH

3.41

TA

5.7 g/L