Peter Michael "L’Après-Midi" Sauvignon Blanc 2024

94 WA

Notes:

The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc L’Après-Midi contains 6% Sémillon. It matured in around 15% new French oak and was bottled the spring after the harvest. It has continually unfurling scents of flint, white peach, tarragon, lemongrass, graham cracker, chamomile and honey. The full-bodied palate is bursting with layers of flinty stone and citrus fruit, and it has a lifted, silky texture. It’s balanced by succulent acidity and has a long, perfumed finish. 2,162 cases were made. Wine Advocate 94

Producer: Peter Michael Winery was founded by Sir Peter Michael in 1982 in Knights Valley, Sonoma County. The estate is built around steep mountainside vineyards and produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bordeaux varieties in addition to Sauvignon Blanc. L’Après-Midi, French for “the afternoon,” is one of the estate’s longstanding white wines and comes entirely from the Knights Valley estate. The Sauvignon Blanc vineyard was planted in 1995 and has become an important part of Peter Michael’s estate program.
Vineyard: The fruit for L’Après-Midi is grown within the Les Pavots Vineyard in Knights Valley, alongside Peter Michael’s red Bordeaux varieties. The Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon occupy steep mountainside terrain at approximately 1,000–1,400 feet elevation, with a south-southeast exposure. The soils are derived from volcanic-origin rhyolite, providing rocky, well-drained conditions. The Sauvignon Blanc plantings include both Preston and Musqué selections. The combination of elevation, exposure and volcanic soils provides a distinctive mountain setting for Sauvignon Blanc within Sonoma County.
Winemaking: The 2024 is produced from Sauvignon Blanc with a small proportion of Sémillon. The grapes were picked and sorted by hand, then whole-cluster pressed. Fermentation took place entirely in French oak barrels using native yeasts, and the wine did not undergo malolactic fermentation. Individual lots were aged separately sur lie, with gentle bâtonnage, before blending. The wine spent approximately eight to nine months in barrel, with approximately 15% new French oak, and was bottled unfined.
2024 Vintage: Winter brought substantial rainfall from December through March, followed by favorable conditions during bloom and excellent fruit set in the Sauvignon Blanc blocks. The subsequent growing season was relatively mild, with few periods of extreme heat between July and September. Sauvignon Blanc was harvested from September 5–14, followed by Sémillon from September 30–October 4. The extended season allowed the varieties to be harvested separately according to their individual ripening schedules.
Technical Details: Knights Valley AVA; Sonoma County, California; 2024 vintage; estate grown in Les Pavots Vineyard; Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon; vineyard planted in 1995; volcanic-origin rhyolite soils; south-southeast exposure; 1,000–1,400 feet elevation; hand harvested and sorted; whole-cluster pressed; native-yeast fermentation; 100% barrel fermented in French oak; approximately 15% new French oak; no malolactic fermentation; sur-lie aging with bâtonnage; bottled unfined; 15.3% ABV.
Food Pairing: Dungeness crab, oysters, scallops, grilled prawns, lobster, halibut, sea bass, roast chicken, goat cheese, asparagus, and herb-driven preparations. The combination of Sauvignon Blanc acidity, barrel fermentation and Sémillon gives the wine enough body for richer seafood such as lobster and scallops, while its freshness makes it particularly well suited to shellfish, grilled fish and fresh goat cheese.