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Below you will find our winemaker cheat sheets and label for all eight wines featured on the “Dress it Up!” Tour. This is a good place to learn more about these delicious and varied wines, plus search for answers to our “Label Hunt & Speed Concentration” Game. To get the full scoop on Korbel & Heck Estates check out our past article by Tine Caputo.
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Korbel
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Korbel NV Brut Champagne
Winemaker’s Notes
Korbel Brut is America’s favorite bottle fermented champagne. It is used to celebrate more weddings, anniversaries, and New Years celebrations than any other quality Champagne. Korbel Brut is light and crisp, with spicy fruit flavors. It is finished with a 1% dosage for a balanced medium dry finish. Korbel Brut is perfect for every celebration and many meals. Try it with chicken dishes, oriental foods, especially those using lemon grass or mild curries. Korbel Brut is also great served with many fruits and milder cheeses.
Vintage: Non-Vintage
Varietal Composition: Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard, Chardonnay
Appellation: California
Alcohol: 12.5%
Dosage at Finishing: 1.0% By Weight
Total Acidity: 0.75G/100ML
Yeast: Prisse De Mousse
Disgorged: Throughout the Year
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Korbel 2000 Natural Champagne
Winemaker’s Notes
Korbel Natural is a very dry, delicate champagne which exemplifies the fruit forward, Korbel “House Style”. Sonoma County Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, from the cool Russian River Valley, gives the Korbel Natural it’s unique crisp, fruit centered style. Natural was originally developed by Adolf Heck in the early 1960’s as a dry, sophisticated alternative to the sweet and awkward bulk processed sparkling wines commonly consumed at that time. Korbel Natural’s crispness makes it a great champagne to serve as an aperitif, with lighter fish dishes or grilled prawns. Natural also pairs well with dishes using fruit, especially citrus or apples.
Vintage: 2000
Varietal Composition: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Alcohol: 12.5%
Dosage at Finishing: 0.75% by weight
Total Acidity: .08 g/100ml
Yeast: Prisse de Mousse
First Disgorged: September 2002
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Kenwood
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Kenwood 2001 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
Wine Descriptions
Bright and vibrant, fresh and crisp, boasting tropical fruit, pear and citrus flavors; hints of spice and grassiness; fresh and lively through the finish.
Winemaker’s Notes
For many years Kenwood Vineyards has been recognized as one of California’s top Sauvignon Blanc producers. It is our most popular wine. The fruit sourced for this wine comes from our growers in five different appellations in Sonoma County. Grapes from vineyards in the cooler regions of Carneros and the Russian River Valley bring grassy characteristics to the wine, while grapes from the warmer Dry Creek, Sonoma Valley and Alexander Valley regions create melony, fruity flavors. The end result can be found in this well-balanced, award-winning wine.
The Sauvignon Blanc fruit was harvested in September and October 2001 following a truly ideal growing season. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, a small portion of the juice was aged in French oak barrels and upright tanks to create richness and smoothness of character. Most of the wine was then aged in stainless steel to retain the natural fruity flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Winemaker Mike Lee held the fruit from each vineyard lot separate throughout fermentation and aging, blending just prior to bottling for optimum flavors.
Suggested National Retail Price: $12.00
Composition: 93% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Chardonnay
Aging: A portion for 6 months in French oak
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bottled: April 2002
Acid/pH: 65/334
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Kenwood 2000 Sonoma County Zinfandel
Wine Descriptions
Medium-bodied with black cherry, spice, and vanilla oak flavors that finish with classic peppery Zinfandel notes.
Winemaker’s Notes
Kenwood has prided itself on its highly acclaimed, consistent gold-medal winning Sonoma Zinfandel since it was first produced in 1970. The zest and zing of this varietal make it Winemaker Mike Lee's personal favorite.
Our Sonoma County Zinfandel is blended from vineyards throughout Sonoma County. A portion of the blend comes from four old-vine vineyards--Upper Weise, Ivy Glen, Saini and Bald Mountain. The balance of the blend comes from vineyards ranging in age from 15-40 years.
The 2000 growing season was moderate with a normal spring bloom. The fruit was harvested in mid-September. Each vineyard lot was fermented separately in stainless steel and aged individually in American and French oak barrels for 14 months. Just prior to bottling, the lots were blended to create a wine with intense berry flavors and delightful peppery notes. The 2000 vintage of Sonoma County Zinfandel is excellent; it is flavorful and rich, with a smooth finish.
Suggested National Retail Price: $16.00
Composition: 97% Zinfandel, 3% Petite Sirah from several notable Sonoma County vineyards including, Upper Weise, Ivy Glen, Bald Mountain, Geib Ranch, Indian Springs and Saini.
Aging: 14 months in French and American oak barrels.
Alcohol: 14.3%
Bottled: May 2002
Acid/pH: 73/361
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Valley of the Moon
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Valley of the Moon 2001 Chardonnay
Wine Descriptions
Rich texture with toasty vanilla aromas and fruit flavors of golden delicious apples and bartlett pears.
Winemaker’s Notes
The fruit for this wine comes from vineyards in the Carneros, Sonoma Valley and Russian River areas in Sonoma County. These appellations are characterized by foggy mornings and cool breezes that keep the fruit at an optimum temperature; perfect conditions for growing premium Chardonnay grapes.
The 2001 vintage was one of the most temperate in recent memory with day after day of morning fog followed by warm afternoons. This gradual ripening made for a relatively calm harvest that allowed us to hand pick the grapes when they reached their peak of ripeness.
The fruit for this wine was whole cluster pressed and fermented in French Oak Barrels and then allowed to age "sur lies" for five months while the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. The individual lots were then selected for blending and bottling.
Suggested National Retail Price: $15.00
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Aging: Barrel Fermented, 85% Malolactic, Sur lies for five months in French Oak Barrels.
Acid/pH: 5.51g/L / 3.48pH
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bottled: April, 2002
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Valley of the Moon 2000 Sangiovese
Wine Descriptions
Cherry, blackberry, and black pepper aromas and flavors. Ready to drink now, this wine should continue to improve over the next 3-5 years.
Winemaker’s Notes
While Sangiovese is an up-and-coming varietal for California, it is a long-revered traditional Mediterranean varietal which has proven to be well-suited to Sonoma County.
The fruit for this Sangiovese comes from the Mazzoni Vineyard outside Geyserville in the Alexander Valley, and the Saini Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley. Both appellations are known for their warm microclimates. As Sangiovese is one of the most delicate of red wines, the grapes are handled very carefully during picking and vinification. The fruit for the 1999 Sangiovese was picked in late September. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels.
Composition: 97% Sangiovese, 3% Barbera
Aging: 16 months in French oak barrels.
Acid/pH: .69/3.63
Alcohol: 14.5%
Bottled: 7/01
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Lake Sonoma
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Lake Sonoma 2001 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Wine Descriptions
Apple, pear, pineapple, lemon and floral aroma are balanced with just the right amount of sweet oak to produce a lively, complex wine.
Winemaker’s Notes
The grapes for this wine were whole cluster pressed to keep harsh phenolic compounds at a low level. After a short settling period, clear juice was racked to French oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was aged on the fermentation lees for nine months with regular stirring to resuspend the lees and make a rounder, more complex wine. All barrels completed malolactic fermentation.
Suggested National Retail Price: $15.00
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: 98.5% Russian River Valley 1.5% Sonoma Valley
Aging: 9 months in French oak
Acid/pH: .59/3.52
Alcohol: 13.9%
Bottled: 8/02
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 Lake Sonoma 1999 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine Descriptions
Full bodied and well extracted with big fruit and oak flavors. Still a little young, this wine should continue to improve over the next 8 to 10 years.
Winemaker’s Notes
The grapes for this wine were crushed and fermented warm, pumping juice from the tank bottom over the cap of floating grape skins on a regular basis. The wine was pressed off the skins at dryness and allowed to settle in a stainless steel tank. The clear wine was then racked to 60 gallon French and American oak barrels to finish malolactic fermentation. The wine was barrel aged a total of 30 months.
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: 87% Alexander Valley, 13% Napa Valley
Aging: 30 months in American and French oak
Acid/pH: . 67/3.51
Alcohol: 13.9%
Bottled: 8/02
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