We do not like to say too much about Grimm’s Bluff. It is a small vineyard, producing very little fruit. But, it is such a remarkable site and produces such exquisite Sauvignon Blanc that we feel fortunate, even downright lucky to obtain fruit here. We love the farming team too, led by Rick Grimm and Garrett Gamache. Here it is all about quality. We have three separate blocks here (head trained clone 1, vertical shoot position (“VSP”) clone 1 and VSP musque clone). The small amounts of grapes we receive are specially handled, mostly in French oak “cigars” initially developed by Didier Dagueneau, a portion of which is new (light long toast). Here the wood frames the wine, stretching it and lengthening it so that the finish lasts minutes.
In 2022, yields were again, miniscule, only 1.4 tons per acre. The selection for this wine was 64% from the head trained section, and 36% VSP, and we aged wine for 16 months on its lees in 100% French oak, 37% of which was once used and 63% neutral. As is typical, this wine is tightly coiled, but massively concentrated and supremely long, lifted in the finish by powerful minerals from the clay and river rock soils, with spectacular round acidity. The wine gives the taster both excitement and contemplation, which we truly love in a wine.