About Fogarty
Few wine regions on earth can match Santa Cruz Mountains’ climates, soils and vertigo-inspiring views. Set high in the mountains overlooking California’s Silicon Valley, the Thomas Fogarty winery has been making single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet from the SCM appellation since 1981. Fogarty’s two estates are divided into micro-vineyards, ranging from .25 to 5.25 acres, based on soil and topography. All are maritime (12-18 miles to Pacific), cool-climate (Regions I and II), high-elevation (1600-2300 feet), low yielding (1-3 tons per acre) and mountainous. The winery was founded by Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a Stanford cardiovascular surgeon and world-renowned inventor.

Vintage
2007, what a year! The 2007 vintage was marked by numerous days of frightening weather. But, just when things seemed lost, a warm Indian summer came to the rescue and produced a small crop of fully ripe, incrediblyintense fruit. Amazing vintage!

Vineyards
The Scheid Viento Vineyard is situated on a gradual east-facing slope on the western side of the Salinas Valley at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountain range. The soil is composed of well-draining, calcareous shale. The climate is cold and windy. Since our first vintage in 1984, we have been consistently impressed with the quality of Gewürztraminer we source from Monterey County.

Winemaking
Three quarters of the fruit was whole-cluster pressed, chilled overnight and racked clean the next morning. We crushed and de-stemmed the remaining 25% of fruit and left the juice in contact with the skins for 12-16 hours. This fraction of juice was loaded with perfume and exotic flavors. The two lots were combined and fermented together at 52-56 degrees for a little more than months.

Tasting Notes
Gewürztraminer represents the pinnacle of exotic aromatics in fine wine. It possesses flowers, tropical fruits, spices, lychee nuts and a whole slew of other wild scents. Our 2007 'Gewurz' veers towards fresh ginger, rose hips and pineapple. The mouth is vibrant and balanced with fine acidity and threshold sweetness that adds body and really allows the fruit to 'pop.' Drink early and often!

TECHNICAL DATA:

Appellation
Monterey County

WINEMAKER
Michael Martella

VINEYARDS
100% Viento Vineyard

COMPOSITION: 100% Gewürztraminer

Finished alcohol: 14.2% ABC
Acid/pH: .57g / 100ml / 3.53
Residual Sugar: 0.4%
Total production: 2806 cases
California suggested retail: $18.00