| Tasting Notes / Comments: | This wine is 100% Viognier from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard near Los Olivos— a vineyard that we’ve been leasing and farming since 1986. We have 1.25 acres, which normally gives us about 200-300 cases of this wine each year. In 2002 we only had 8 barrels, which yielded a scant 174 cases!
The grapes were whole cluster pressed, chilled and settled overnight, then racked into 3 year-old François Frères barrels for fermentation. It was aged in barrel for 5 ½ months and allowed to go through malo.
The small crop in 2002 yielded a very intense Viognier. The aromas show honey, honeysuckle, apricots and pear. It’s a big wine in the mouth with ample yet balanced alcohol (the label says 13.5% but it is actually 13.9%) and great acidity. We get this kind of acidity in Viognier even after malolactic!
Viognier will age, but what’s the point? It is so wonderful and fresh in its youth and tends to lose its aromatic character after a couple years in bottle. Save your cellar space for Syrah and Marsanne.
Qupe (2002 vintage)
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