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2016 IL PASSITO, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon

Il Passito is a wine for kings and queens; rich, unctuous and complex. An elegant and nuanced honey sweet dessert wine, made in the fine sauterne style. The wine displays bright aromas of honey, vanilla bean, and citrus zest with rich butterscotch-caramel undertones.

A regal dessert wine made from overripe grapes which develop Botrytis cincerea, or "Noble Rot", shriveling the skins and enhancing sugar, acid and flavor intensity. The resulting harvest in late autumn is vastly diminished in yield, then barrel-fermented and aged for 2 years, becoming more concentration and flavorful. The rare late harvest varietal grown in the Yountville AVA of Napa Valley.

ACCOLADES

• Wine Enthusiast Magazine (91 Points)

"Blending 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, this late-harvest wine was fermented and aged in all-new French oak for nearly two years. Dark gold in color and viscous in texture, it tastes of peach candy, applesauce and vanilla bean, while being lengthy and balanced in sweetness." -Virginie Boone

• San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (Gold Medal)

"There were over forty-eight judges, representing various North American wine regions, evaluating 5,816 wines from nearly 1,000 wineries for the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition."

♦ A wax sealed bottle is a beautiful addition to your wine rack, but can be intimidating when it comes time to open it. This is easier than you may think! Simply plunge your corkscrew through the wax, as if it were not even there. Lift the cork slightly and wipe any wax crumbles from the opening. Pull the cork the rest of the way out and enjoy!

4 Review(s)

*Yountville AVA, Napa Valley*

Wine Specs

Vintage

2016

Varietal

70% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation

Napa Valley

Harvest Date

November 8, 2016

Aging

Bordeaux French oak, 100% New Oak

Alcohol %

14.7

Wine Enthusiast

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes

The wine displays bright aromas of honey, vanilla bean, and citrus zest with rich butterscotch-caramel undertones.

Ratings

Rated 91 Points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Production Notes

Grapes Grown in The Yountville AVA.

Winemaker Notes

A regal dessert wine made from overripe grapes which develop Botrytis cinerea, or “Noble Rot”, shriveling the skins and enhancing sugar, acid, and flavor intensity. This succulent and deliciously spicy white wine is made in the style of some of the world’s greatest dessert wines, such as Sauternes and the “dried grape” white wines of Sicily such as “Passito di Pantelleria”.

Food Pairing Notes

Enjoy with dried fruit (especially figs), or foie gras with honey or almond paste on a crostini to show its complex and intriguing aromas and succulent spice.

Production

"Following the very small 2015 harvest, it was heartening to see the vines recover and bounce back to produce not only extremely high quality fruit but also some bounty in 2016! Harvest was earlier than we expected, and we observed optimum flavor and phenolic development progress as we harvested. Across the board, the flavors and acids were exceptional, and a delicious balance evolved as the harvest proceeded. Acids are firm and pH is slightly lower, so the wines should be well-structured with very good aging potential. This is an exciting vintage with a lot to like! —Brooks Painter, Director of Winemaking

Product Reviews

Derek Phips

(Aug 5, 2021 at 7:19 AM)

Very good reserve!

Stas Pruchansky

(Oct 13, 2021 at 4:49 AM)

Liquid gold. Honey and vanilla ice cream, custard and waffles. So cool!

Chuck Dowe

(Feb 22, 2022 at 9:50 AM)

The nose is honey, apricot, and toasted almonds. The palate is honeycomb, apricot, and toasted almonds.

S. Pua

(Mar 19, 2022 at 4:18 PM)

It is a sweet wine that goes great with dessert. The honey, vanilla, custard, apple & melon notes in the wine is divine. It is a balanced sweetness. Enjoyed it very much.