Hawley 2005 Viognier Product Description

HAWLEY
2005 Barrel Fermented
Viognier

Vineyard Sources

Native to the slopes of France's Rhone Valley, the Viognier grape appears to be especially well suited to our California climate. The grapes for this wine came from the Damiano Vineyard in Placer County (88%) as well as from the Hawley Vineyard in Sonoma County (12%). Careful attention to the farming details in these two hillside vineyards, including vertical trellising, leaf pulling to allow sunlight on the grapes, and crop thinning, helped to maximize the quality of the fruit. The 2005 growing season started several weeks early due to warm February weather. But the weather soon cooled down, and remained cool throughout the season. This slowed the ripening process and the additional "hang time" on the vine led to exceptional flavor development in the grapes. We harvested the Placer County fruit on September 7th and 8th. The heat we needed brought the grapes to ripeness. Our own Dry Creek Valley fruit was picked on October 5th, 2005. The sugar content at harvest averaged 24.8 Brix.

Winemaking

This wine was carefully handcrafted using traditional French wine making techniques including:
Gentle whole cluster pressing to minimize tannin in the wine;
Barrel fermentation in older French oak barrels followed by five months of barrel aging to add a creamy texture and a toasty complexity to the wine;
Secondary malolactic fermentation to soften the high natural acidity of the grapes and to add a buttery complexity.
The wine was bottled on February 6, 2006. Only 820 cases were produced.

Tasting Notes

This 100% Viognier shows its typical peach and jasmine-like flavors,along with citrus and spice notes. Its complex flavors mingle honeysuckle, pineapple, peach, apricot and orange blossoms, with a wonderfully light, clean fruity aroma. The mouth feel is luscious with moderate acidity, and a long fruity finish.

Serving Suggestions

Served slightly chilled, this wine is excellent as an aperitif or an accompaniment to pasta, seafood and poultry. It's great with spicy Asian cuisine!

Analysis