Light straw color with nectarine, asian pear-apple and some floral
notes on the nose. In the mouth, peaches, nectarines, and violets
linger with a soft, velvety, and summery finish.
The Vintage
With a warmer than normal February, bud break came early, in
the first week of March. Two weeks later, the 20% lighter than
normal rains ended. May and June were warmer than normal, giving
the vines a good start. After that, the growing season was long,
dry and mild, with only a few brief heat spikes moderated by the
cool climate. Thus, the Bordeaux varieties have fully ripened
flavors. Tannins are highly extractable and color is intense.
Potentially a great vintage.
Fermentation and Aging
Picked by hand for ideal ripeness and whole cluster pressed a
few hours later. The juice was settled overnight, then transferred
to seven neutral French oak and four stainless barrels for fermentation
and 11 months of aging. 406 cases were bottled in August 2004.
The Vineyard
Two acres of Viognier planted in our Finley Vineyard in 1999.
Finely, named after early settlers, is a 7-acre vineyard in the
estern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The unirrigated, south-facing
vineyard is on a knoll with soils that change from gravel to shallow
clay as the vineyard descends from 800 to 750 feet.
