The 2020 season will be remembered for factors beyond the normal measurements. In Napa Valley, it was a warm, dry winter without rain and cold weather until the end of March. Throughout the mild spring season, the wineries of Napa Valley worked under extensive safety protocols due to the COVID pandemic. Summer brought very cool mornings and very warm days. This build-up to harvest was interrupted by two wildfires: the LNUComplex Fire started on August 17th and the Glass Fire started onSeptember 27th. The Animo Sauvignon Blanc was harvested the morning ofAugust 17th and was the only Michael Mondavi Family wine to be produced in 2020 due to the fires.

Fermentation commenced in temperature-controlled micro stainless-steel tanks until sugar conversion was half complete. From there, the must was transferred to barrel with 15% of the final blend fermented and aged in new French oak and the balance held in 1-to 2-year-old neutral French oak barrels.

The genesis of great wines is great vineyards. Oso Vineyard, located between Sugarloaf Mountain and Howell Mountain in the great Napa Valley, is truly a special labor of love. In 2004, this spot was planted with cuttings from one of the best-known rootstocks of Sauvignon Blanc with origins tracing to the esteemed Château d'Yquem and which first made its way to California via Charles Wetmore, renowned wine pioneer of the 1880s. Ten years after planting and using the same trellising methods from the 19th century, we made our first vintage of Sauvignon Blanc. Since then, the Heritage Block has delivered beautiful Sauvignon Blanc, vintage after vintage.

BLEND: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
AGING: 15% new French oak for 7 months, 85% neutral French oak
ALCOHOL 13.9%
TA 7.7 g/L
pH 3.3
CASES PRODUCED: 170

The beginning of the 2019 growing season was defined by copious rainfall and late soil moisture. The long, warm summer saw very few extreme heat events, with foggy mornings setting the stage for vibrant & expressive wines. The long, relatively mild finish to the season, not without its moments of unpredictability, helped to preserve freshness and finesse in the fruit with abundant hang time teasing out great color, structure, and tannins. Yield size is slightly below average. All in all, exceptional fruit with bright acidity and ample texture promises an amazing vintage.

Fermentation commenced in temperature-controlled micro stainless-steel tanks until sugar conversion was half complete. From there, the must was transferred to barrel with 15% of the final blend fermented and aged in new French oak and the balance held in 1- to 2-year-old neutral French oak barrels.

The genesis of great wines is great vineyards. Our Oso Vineyard, located between Sugarloaf Mountain and Howell Mountain in the great Napa Valley, is truly a special labor of love. In 2004, our family planted this spot with cuttings from one of the best-known rootstocks of Sauvignon Blanc with origins tracing to the esteemed Château d'Yquem and which first made its way to California via Charles Wetmore, renowned wine pioneer of the 1880s. Ten years after planting and using the same trellising methods from the 19th century, we made our first vintage of Sauvignon Blanc. Since then, our Heritage Block has delivered beautiful Sauvignon Blanc, vintage after vintage.

BLEND: 100% Sauvignon Blanc AGING: 15% new French oak for 7 months, 85% neutral French oak ALCOHOL 13.9%; TA 7.8 g/L; pH 3.2 CASES PRODUCED 200 SRP: $65

February 2018 saw abundant rains, followed by lots of filtered light in spring and early summer. Both bud break and flowering occurred a bit late, but under ideal weather conditions, creating plentiful and even fruit set. Summer brought generous sun during the day and cooler marine influences, virtually uninterrupted by major heat spikes. The relatively mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat created near-ideal conditions for winemakers to allow their fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels. Volume was great, up 20-30% over average crop quantity and harvest was completed just after Labor Day.

Fermentation commenced in temperature-controlled micro stainless steel tanks until sugar conversion was half complete. From there, the must was transferred to barrel with 15% of the final blend fermented and aged in new French oak and the balance held in 1 to 2 year old neutral French oak barrels.

BLEND: 100% Sauvignon Blanc AGING: 15% new French oak for 7 months, 85% neutral French oak ALCOHOL 13.9%; TA 7.8 g/L; pH 3.2 CASES PRODUCED 200 SRP: $65

While the abundant rainfall during the preceding Winter and at the start of 2017 was a blessing, the vines were vigorous leading to methodical canopy management to ensure optimal amounts of sun on the grape clusters. Spring was mild and resulted in extended flowering in some areas with very little grape shatter. Summer came with record-breaking temperatures soaring over 100 degrees throughout the Valley and was mixed with scattered, light Summer rains. The 2017 growing season, needless to say, was certainly a busy and eventful year in the Napa Valley and was also marked by a rare and notable solar eclipse on August 21 which happened to kick-off harvest in our vineyard. Many aromatic white varieties, including our Sauvignon Blanc, reached maturation slightly earlier than expected thereby resulting in an early harvest which, in our vineyard, was complete well before Labor Day.

Fermentation commenced in temperature-controlled micro stainless steel tanks until sugar conversion was half complete. From there, the must was transferred to barrel with 15% of the final blend fermented and aged in new French oak and the balance held in 1 to 2 year old neutral French oak barrels.

BLEND: 100% Sauvignon Blanc AGING: 15% new French oak for 7 months, 85% neutral French oak ALCOHOL 13.7%; TA 7.5 g/L; pH 3.2 CASES PRODUCED 170 SRP: $65