DeSante The Old Vine White Field Blend

Sauvignon Vert / Semillon / Golden Chasselas / Green Hungarian / Pinot Blanc

Napa Valley, California

David DeSante and his wife Katherine are the forces behind DeSante Wines. After interests in aerospace engineering and the medical field, David found himself at UC Davis, earning a degree in Viticulture & Enology. He soon found himself working for Robert Mondavi, Cullen Wines in Australia, and back to California where he made sparkling and still wines for S.Anderson. The first vintage of DeSante Wines came in 2001: a Sauvignon Blanc from fruit purchased from Andy Beckstoffer.

The Old Vines white blend is “beyond organic”. This collection of head-trained heritage grape varieties has been dry-farmed without conventional agrichemicals of any type since the mid-1940’s. The only fertilizers applied are dried sea kelp. The only fungicides are made from lavender soap, olive oil and garlic extracts. The youngest vines are 70+ years old with many of the vines exceeding 90 years of age. The varieties include Green Hungarian, Semillon, Sauvignon Vert, Golden Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and others. All of the vines are either planted to the St. George rootstock or on their original vinifera roots. Yields are approximately 1 ton / acre or 16 hL/hectare in a productive year.