Description
Frogs Leap Winery 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
The 1981 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc is what we feel a Sauvignon Blanc should be. It is a dry wine of substantial scale the carries itself well, as it retains a delicacy to complement food, not overwhelm.” These are the words that we chose to introduce our Sauvignon Blanc—and in fact, our winery—to the world. In the 40 years that have passed since our debut vintage, we’ve stayed true to the ideals we laid out at the very beginning. Today the wine is still made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc grapes, farmed in such a way as to keep the alcohol low, the acidity high, and the flavors crisp, refreshing and complex.
Frogs Leap Winery 2021 Chardonnay Napa Valley
At Frog’s Leap, we have been fortunate enough to work with the same Chardonnay vineyard ever since our first vintage in 1985. Planted by the renowned Truchard family in 1979, these vines are deeply rooted in the decomposed shale and sandstone that are characteristic of the steeply-sloped hillsides of Carneros, and lend themselves perfectly to the balanced, restrained style that is our signature. Fermented for only a handful of days in new French oak barrels, the wine is racked at the peak of its fermentation to insulated vessels that keep the residual heat, where it sits, untouched and sur lie, for up to 12 months. Grown in shale and stone, our Chardonnay boasts incredible freshness and a distinct mineral edge that speaks directly to its origins.
Frogs Leap Winery 2021 Merlot Napa Valley
The drought conditions in 2021 affected all of our varieties, but none more so than Merlot, both for better and for worse. Our dry-farmed vines compensated for the moisture deficit by growing smaller canopies, smaller bunches and smaller grapes, giving us our lowest yield of Merlot ever—just 1.5 tons per acre, or 23 hl/ha. This in turn has given us our lowest production of Merlot since we began working with the grape in 1990. However, if you’re reading this, you’re one of the lucky ones holding a bottle of our best Merlot so far. “Best” is a term that I don’t like to use very often, but the 2021 Merlot is worthy of the title. Dark-fruited, layered, and powerful, the ’21 carries incredible density and fullness of flavor, while remaining balanced and retaining the supple, seamless texture that makes great Merlot so appealing. If you crack a bottle soon, please give it some air. I expect the wine will continue to evolve over the next 25 years, and will endure well beyond that.
Frogs Leap Winery 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
All lots were destemmed and crushed to tank, and most began fermentation on the strength of their native yeast. Fermentations lasted between 7 and 10 days, with open hose pumpovers performed three times daily to mix the skins and promote gentle extraction. Tannins were quite strong in 2019, and though most lots were still pressed at dryness. Natural malolactic fermentation completed in barrel. Five rackings were performed over the course of the wine’s 20 months of aging in French oak barrels (~23% new overall).
Frogs Leap Winery 2020 Zinfandel Napa Valley
We are big believers in Zinfandel, and we think you should be, too. Delicious, exuberant fruity aromas belie a sophistication to our wine that pushes the boundaries of what it means to be serious Zinfandel, and lay the foundation for the unexpected—a Zin that can age. I have always tried to push our style in the direction of freshness, balance and elegance, which I believe yields a wine that is both more enjoyable and better reflective of the beautiful vineyards in which we grow our grapes. We farm our Zinfandel in St. Helena, just five miles north of our home in Rutherford, with the vast majority coming from just two vineyards, White Barn and Molinari, both of which sit in the gravel soils of the large alluvial fan that defines this appellation. Zinfandel thrives in this kind of soil; unfortunately for Zinfandel, Cabernet also does well in this soil, and Zin is a vanishing quantity in Napa, despite its seeming ubiquity in the rest of California. However, we continue to farm this heritage grape, in the belief that there is no better grounding for the elegant style of Zin that we love.
Frogs Leap 2022 Flycatcher Red Wine California
The inaugural vintage of Flycatcher consists of old vine Zinfandel from vines planted in 1963 at the Five Starr ranch in the Mokelumne River sub-AVA of Lodi, steeply-sloped Petite Sirah, and aromatic, earthy Merlot from a duo of unlikely vineyards in the Yorkville Highlands area of Mendocino, and some fabulous Syrah from an outcropping of volcanic tufa soil in the Carneros district of Napa. Warm, generous fruit from the Zin combines with great backbone and spiciness from the Sirah-Syrah sisters. Merlot (grown at a high elevation) adds acidity and an earthy-floral top-note that helps invite the next sip.
All lots were destemmed, crushed lightly, and fermented in stainless steel at our home in Rutherford. With the broad array of sources, picking started on September 6th but didn’t finish until October 18th. After finishing their fermentations, the Flycatcher lots were aged in a combination of 2- to 5-year-old oak barrels for 8 months, with two gentle rackings. No new oak was used in Flycatcher.
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