Nose
Honeysuckle, peach and pear aromas precede an explosion of pineapple peach and pear.
Palate
The palate is peachy Bosc pear leading to tangerine with hints of coconut in the background. The Love-Struck finishes with layers of peach, pear and just a hint of hazelnut.
Harvest
The 2014 Growing season started perfectly, with an extended dry blooming period and ideal temperatures. The year was drier than normal and much warmer than normal from April through the first few weeks of October. These perfect growing conditions led to what Tedd Wildman, manager of Stone Tree Vineyard, called shock and awe. “First the winemaker was in shock because the quantity was between 10 and 20 percent higher than cluster counts predicted, then everyone was in awe because the quality was very, very good.” Overall, this trend repeated itself through all our vineyards. The two exceptions were Les Collines and Bergevin Springs. The Cabernet Sauvignon came in on our tonnage target and the quality is spectacular. The Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon came in on target at Bergevin Springs and the vineyard is giving hints to an earthy character that is quite unique. The Merlot from Bergevin Springs came in above expected quantity but shows the dark fruit and that earthy character found elsewhere in the vineyard. The only down side to this vintage was that the workload was as intense and concentrated as the wines. Our facility was bulging at the seams.
Bottling
Bottling date: 05/18/2015.
Winemaking
Hand picked grapes were pressed whole cluster, creating richer expressive fruit flavors and a fuller texture . Barrel fermentation and the use of five distinctly different yeast types creates complexity, body and a huge spectrum of fruit flavors. Extended aging on the fermentation lees, leads to creaminess and mineral notes. The idea behind this wine is to create an aromatic, romantic wine with elegance using tried and true old world techniques.
Aging
Viognier aged in small neutral barrels and aged sur lie. 5 months, 22% New French and American Oak, 78% Used French & Hungarian
