2007 Le Vol des Anges

$30.00 per bottle / $324 per case
$25.50 per bottle / $288 per case (Members)

Sweet Wine of the Earth ~ 375ml
The 2007 vintage brought unseasonable dryness to the Beeswax Vineyard in Arroyo Seco, with lower humidity and fewer rain showers than ideal for the development of the noble rot, botrytis. Regardless, to our great delight we were able to harvest sufficient botrytised roussanne to produce this vintage of Le Vol des Anges.

The fruit was harvested and sorted with great care, selecting only the most botrytised fruit from multiple picking passes. We applied tender foot stomping followed by several hours of macération pelliculaire to soak up the sugar and flavors from the desiccated grapes. The fruit was then gently pressed to a juice of 33˚ brix before undergoing fermentation on its own indigenous yeast in 70% stainless steel and the balance in acacia barrels.

Botrytis, when it is good, is very, very good, imparting a distinctively rich, unctuous, honeyed, savory mouthfeel and great persistence on the palate. This wine has a decadent autumnal quality reminiscent of pome fruit, notably pears and quince, but also the sweet suggestions of white nectarine, apricot, and a hint of blood orange. In one of those odd synchronicities that seem to be the warp and woof of the Bonny Doon experience, there's also an unmistakable and extremely attractive fragrance of beeswax.

Vital Composition
Varietal Blend: 100% roussanne
Vineyard: Beeswax
Appellation: Arroyo Seco
Alcohol by Volume: 12.3%
Residual Sugar: 11.6%
TA: 7.1 g/L
pH: 4.2
Production: 1,100 cases
Bottle Size: 375ml