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Sauvignon Blanc/Fumé Blanc
January 5, 2011 by David
Filed under Wine Words
Are they the same thing? Yup – pretty much. Sauvignon Blanc is the grape; Fumé Blanc is a marketing name that was made up by Robert Mondavi to sell Sauvignon Blanc at a time when it wasn’t popular. Others adopted it. He got the idea for the name from the French Sauvignon Blanc of the Loire Valley in France called Blanc Fumé. Clever, no?
For practical purposes, it’s sort of traditional for Sauvignon Blanc to be un-oaked and Fumé Blanc to be oaked, because Bob Mondavi barrel aged his Fumé. But, it won’t always hold true. More information
Barrel Aging: It’s Not Just for Oak Flavor!
December 27, 2010 by David
Filed under Wine Words
In fact, it wasn’t until around the 1960s that oak flavor became important! Some time after that we began to see the first references to “new French oak”. And, of course, now there’s so much focus on oak flavor these days that it’s easy to forget the main reason we still use barrels: Aging! The color, aroma and flavor of the wine changes due to very slow aeration inside the barrel. New Cabernet looks a lot like Welches Grape Juice and smells pretty grapey too. With time in the barrel the primary fruit aromas evolve into something a bit more subtle and complex. An initially clumsy mouth feel gains finesse.
In California, we aged and stored most of the wine in redwood or concrete tanks until stainless steel and small cooperage came into the picture. Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma is credited as the first California winery to use French oak to age their wine in the 1950s. They were followed by Heitz Cellars in the 60s and, as they say, the rest is history! More about oak aging
Sur Lie Aging
December 23, 2010 by David
Filed under Wine Words
Our 2010 Chardonnay is currently aging “sur lie”. Sir who? The term is French and refers to aging the wine on the spent yeast cells and grape solids, the lees. Sur lie translates to “on the lees”.
If you read a winemaking textbook, it advises the winemaker to move the new wine off of the dead yeast cells as early as possible to avoid picking up any off character. But, if it’s done carefully it can give the wine a creamy, round, toasty character and added complexity. Our winemaker stirs the lees up into the wine every Monday morning to accentuate the effect. The French word for stirring the lees is “battonage”. At some point, after a few months he’ll come to the conclusion that there’s nothing more to be gained from the technique and he’ll let the lees settle and move the wine off of them, the first step of clarification.
Sur lie aging is common to Chardonnay, Muscadet, South African Steen (Chenin Blanc) and sometimes Sauvignon Blanc. See 2-minute sur lie video
Oak Alternatives
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Fun Fact by Nancy Hawks Miller, Goosecross: Oak Alternatives
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Wood vs. Stainless Steel for Winemaking: Which is Best?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Nancy Hawks Miller, Goosecross: Wood vs. Stainless Steel for Winemaking: Which is Best?
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Wine Trivia du Jour
True or false? American oak and French oak are the same species. The difference is in the growing conditions and production methods. 
Hmmm… Sounds plausible. Could that explain why American oak seems to impart aromatics quickly where French oak seems to contribute more in terms of structure? What do you think?
Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge!
Barrel Building at Demptos Cooperage in Napa Valley
This brief video shows how a wine barrel is assembled from start to finish. It’s a craft that hasn’t changed much in over 2000 years (oh, they have a few power tools now that they didn’t have then). For more detailed information go to our articles for The Ancient Craft of Barrel Building or To Oak or Not To Oak.
Aging the Wine “Sur Lie”
In this 2-minute video winemaker Geoff Gorsuch of Goosecross Cellars of the Napa Valley does a show and tell on why we age our Chardonnay “sur lie” and stir the lees weekly. Enjoy!
Wine Trivia du Jour
Well, at this time of year it seems appropriate to ask what the “angel’s share” refers to.
a) The dosage for sparkling wine
b) The topping wine
c) Wine spilled in transfer
d) Wine lost to evaporation
Hint: it makes the cellar smell great and accounts for up to 5% of loss per year. Lots of happy angels! 
Whattaya think? Find out in our Wine Trivia Challenge! Go ahead, ACE it!
And, happiest of holidays to you!
