1998 VIOGNIER ROLL RANCH

California (Ojai Valley)

70 cases made

 

Because of the tiny yield this year, these were our most expensive grapes. They were so sparse that I really thought the quality would suffer. Growers often talk about having a balanced vine. With enough fruit on the vine the shoot vigor is controlled because the vine has to work hard to ripen it, and, in theory, improves the quality of the fruit. Well, I can assure you there was no balance here. We did control shoot growth by withholding water and doing a lot of trimming and leaf pulling, but the bunches developed unevenly. However, the lateness of the harvest and the prolonged cool weather as harvest approached gave the grapes an extended hang time that helped even up the ripening. When we finally picked the vineyard on October 1st the fruit was bursting with flavor. And when the wine had fermented dry, we saw right away that we had something very special.

This wine is unbelievably aromatic with scents of apricot, honeysuckle and violets. On the palate it coats the mouth with sweet, penetrating fruit and leaves a long lingering finish. This viognier is nothing short of miraculous!