When we planted our first vineyards in 1975, we planted a few rows of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains on the advice of a Napa Valley vintner in case our Gewürztraminer grapes weren't aromatic enough. Gewürz grapes grown in Philo are quite aromatic so we never used these Muscat grapes in winemaking—but we sure enjoyed nibbling on the grapes and eating homemade Muscat pie. In 1990 we planted two acres of Muscat and in 1994 made our first wine from the grapes. The wine was moderately sweet and although we loved the aromas and flavors, we personally drink a lot more dry wine than sweet so in subsequent vintages the wine was fermented dry—this bottling is Navarro's 25th dry Muscat. Of all the grapes we grow, Muscat is the most difficult to press. The juice doesn't separate easily from the pulp and when pressed fast or hard, the slippery pulp clogs up the drainage openings creating a mess. Multiple press cycles increase the amount of undesirable skin phenolics picked up by the juice.

---