Fall Release Lia Viognier
2008

Winemaker’s Notes

As these notes go to print, we are still three months away from bottling of our 2008 ‘Lia’ Viognier, yet at this early stage, the new vintage shows all the components and early promise to rival its delicious 2007 predecessor. The intense heat wave we experienced in early September 2008 really shaped the vintage as a whole, creating great natural richness yet also keeping acidity high, which brought balance and length to this wine. The level of fruit richness this wine offers is borderline outrageous, however, it remains in balance due to the hillside structure inherent in these two great vineyards. As it ages on the lees in our new cold white wine cellar, the structure of the wine is beginning to assert itself, and in turn absorb the multi-layered texture and bring some subtlety to the wine’s lavish fruit expression. I expect this vintage to age particularly well, but for me this bottling traditionally offers the most enjoyment in its second year following release.

Pale gold color. Great aromatic richness and varietal purity: peach, apricot, honeyed citrus and quince. The palate follows the aromatic theme with explosively rich fruit of tremendous depth and concentration, layers of texture and breadth, all supported by intense acidity to a zesty vibrant finish. Shows uncommon richness and length for this varietal. As with all our whites, serve at no cooler than 52 degrees to allow full flavor development. Best consumed within four years of release.

Andy Smith