Benziger Family Winery is proud to announce that the 2008 Signaterra Sauvignon Blanc, Shone Farm was named one of the "Top 100 Wines 2009" by the San Francisco Chronicle. In December of 2009, the Chronicle wrote that Benziger "hits it again" with this wine, calling it the "mother lode for Sauvignon Blanc."

Expressive. Eloquent. Polished.
Our Shone Farm Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley is a signature wine. The individuality of the vineyard, the fingerprint of the vintage and the acumen of the winemaker are joined in each bottle. Expressing the marks of these three forces — earth, nature, and man — is fundamental to our mission, our philosophy and the wine we call Signaterra.

Winemaker Notes:
Earth: At the southeastern end of the Russian River Valley, a zip code chock-full of prestigious vineyards, the Shone Farm site is ideal for growing Sauvignon Blanc. The four acre, Block 2 parcel has those low pH soils so important to the acid development of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Pleasanton Rocky Loam soil, along with the southern facing slope help ripen the fruit flavors while maintaining the acid needed for a well balanced wine. A fairly new vineyard, the younger vines give the wine freshness and minerality. This parcel of Shone Farm is farmed organically using Stellar-certified sustainable grape growing methods.

Nature: In this vineyard, we work closely with the powers of sun and wind. As a grape cluster develops, it’s shielded from direct sun by the shade of a grape leaf or two above it, avoiding direct sun exposure, so the temperature of the surrounding air gently encourages cluster development and gentle ripening. Here, the wind is a critical component aiding grape and vine health. We use the trellising system to encourage a wind tunnel-like space at the center of the vine. This keeps fresh, healing air moving through the plant, even in the heart of summer.

Man: Grapes were hand harvested at night to keep the flavors bright and fresh. The juice was whole-cluster pressed using a Champagne-style press that encourages free run, clean juice. It was tank-settled at low temperatures, racked clean to fermentation tanks, then fermented slowly with native yeasts from the vineyard. The Sauvignon Blanc sat on the lees for four and a half months to impart a rich mouthfeel. These methods reveal a brighter, more elegant wine with fewer particles in suspension.