2010 Viognier
This is our first Viognier release, and based on the results and the reactions others have given the wine, it certainly will not be our last! I am not a big fan of most California viogniers for I find them too rich and ‘fat’, as well as so floral and oftentimes sweet that they can be cloying and diffiult to pair with food.
I therefore set out to make this wine in a food-friendly stlye. The grapes come from the White Hawk Vineyard, a vineyard just north of the city of Los Alamos in the Cat Canyon area that site across the street from Melville Winery’s Verna’s Vineyard. It is planted on 100% sand, meaning the vines have to really work to find water. The grapse therefore are uaully fully ripe at lower sugar levels and, more importantly, lower pH’s and higher acids than grapes from other vineyards in Santa Barbara County.
The wine was fermented in 5-6 year old neutral French oak barrels (about 80%) and stainless steel drums and then aged mainly in the same oak barrels for about 8 months prior to bottling.
Here’s what Bob Wesley from The Wine Hound in Santa Barbara had to say about the wine:
“Zesty minerality and floral aromas lead off, with a tangerine-like mid-palate and slight quinine-like notes that temper the ripe peachiness. The grape’s inherent viscosity fans out and then leads to a crisp close, showing plenty of citrus and tropical fruit while remaining dry and focused. This would be a perfect seafood wine, with fresh or steamed shellfish at the top of the list.”
And here’s what The Rhone Report said after tasting the wine in November, 2011:
Showing a similar juiciness and acid backbone, yet with more of the Viognier richness and flesh on the palate, the 2010 Tercero Viognier White Hawk Vineyard has beautifully pure notes of white peaches and stone fruits, subtle flowers, honeycomb, and crème on the nose. This medium-bodied, balanced, pure white has solid texture as well as integrated acidity and a clean, long finish.
About 140 cases produced.
- Description
- 2010 Viognier
