Buttonwood Estate Winery Santa Ynez Valley

IN THE VINEYARD Our largest blocks and our most prevalent plantings, Sauvignon Blanc flourishes here. Mostly Wente Clone 1, the east-west facing blocks enjoy warm sunny days and a diurnal shift of up to 40° to night-time lows to retain natural acidity in the grapes. Like the Sauvignon Blanc, the later ripening Sémillon is one of the original 1983 plantings, and on its own roots.   THE VINTAGE Soil-cleansing rains prior to bud-break gave great promise, and led to a very cool and somewhat cloudy spring, giving the expectation of a later harvest. But, hot weather returned with a vengeance in July, with the hottest temperatures on record. We hydrated the vines and waited for flavor development and were rewarded with grapes of great balance that we harvested at night. Sauvignon Blanc was harvested 8/25-9/9, with Sémillon plucked from the vine a full month later.   WINEMAKING The Sauvignon Blanc is cold-fermented in stainless steel with malo-lactic fermentation inhibited. Conversely, Sémillo