Nose
Volatiles such as mandarin orange, peach blossom, honey-suckle, guava and pink grapefruit dominate the aroma.
Palate
The flavor is punctuated with mandarin orange, peach, honey, banana and guava... very pleasant and full with great viscosity and balance. The Freemark Abbey Viognier is a very refreshing wine that yields both complexity and a pleasurable lingering experience.
Growing Conditions
Following 2012, we had another “near perfect vintage”. A warm, dry winter and spring brought early bud break. The dry weather helped lower canopy vigor and created ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set under sunny skies. With one heat spike in late June, early July, the growing temperatures were near ideal for vine growth and ripening. The season as a hole, was a good two weeks early on the average and really quite dry. There were two rain storms in mid-September that didn’t amount to any consequence, as most of the thin skinned varieties came in early. In fact, this is the earliest that our Viognier had been harvested.
Winemaking
0 % cold fermented at 50 °F. 40 % Fermented in used French Oak barrels at 65 °F
Aging
Barrels: 40 % used French Oak fermentation, 20 % used French Oak aged. Cooperage: % of new wood: 0.0% Aged in Barrel: 20% used French Oak
Appearance
Brilliant greenish straw color introduces the vibrant aroma and flavors of Viognier.
