2018 Ferrari-Carano Eldorado Gold
Winemaker Notes
Eldorado Gold has enticing aromas of mangos, papaya, figs, orange blossom,
hazelnuts and almonds, followed by lush flavors of quince, lemons, apricot, crème
brûlée, nutmeg and honey
Food Pairing Notes
Eldorado Gold is delicious paired with light fruit desserts like apricot or apple
tart, lemon desserts and hazelnut or almond cookies. Dense, buttery pound cake,
summer berries, crème brûlée, caramel sauce and aged cheeses also pair nicely.
Composition
100% Semillon
Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
Sémillon
Appellation
Dry Creek Valley
pH
3.68
Aging
15 months in French oak, 100% new
Tannin
10.1%
Alcohol %
13.9
Production Notes
The grapes are carefully harvested, then placed onto trays where the clusters are
inoculated with a pure strain of botrytis and dehydrated for 20 days to 33.3 brix
before pressing. The pressed juice is cold settled for 48 hours, then racked to
100% new, select French oak barrels for fermentation. Once the desired alcohol
and residual sugar levels are reached, the wine is chilled and filtered to stop
fermentation. The wine is barrel aged for 15 months until bottling.
Vineyard Notes
This wine is created when a beneficial mold, botrytris cinerea, infects the grapes
which evaporates the water content and concentrates the sugars, acids and flavors. 2018 was a very good year with ideal weather conditions for the vines. Spring
produced great set, and average rainfall led to good yields. Consistently warm
temperatures during the summer months without any drastic heat spikes or rain
events allowed for longer “hang time” for the grapes, which led to fully ripe flavors.