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CLINE CELLARS
2000 Viognier
Sonoma County
Technical Notes
Harvest Date: September 12th -October 20th
Brix at Harvest: 25.0°
Total Acidity: 0.67g/100ml
Final pH: 3.77
Residual Sugar: 0.010 g/L
Alcohol: 14.0%
Cases Produced: 2998
Suggested Retail: $18 |
VINTAGE NOTES
The celebration of harvest began August 23rd for Cline Cellars and concluded on November 3rd. The 2000
growing season could be described as one of the most schizophrenic on record. Harvest 2000 ended up being longer
than expected. After experiencing record high temperatures in June, followed by below normal temperatures in late
August and back up to high temperatures in September and finally to cool and unexpected minor storms in October,
these climatic conditions of 2000 kept our growers, vineyard managers and production team on their toes. Yields
were average to slightly above average producing grapes of high quailty with forward fruit and beautiful colors.
VINEYARDS
One of the rarest and most treasured white varietals of the northern Rhone Valley, Viognier is the sole
grape used to fashion the rich, famous wines of Condrieu and Chateau Grillet. Our Los Carneros vineyards, planted
in shallow clay and loam soils on the flats in front of our winery and a rocky hillside on the west-side of the
ranch seem ideally suited to producing Viognier rich in the exotic floral and tropical aromas that make the grape
so unique. Howling afternoon winds that tear through the region and characterize the far southern end of the Los
Carneros district mitigate the blistering summer heat and force our vines to struggle. The unique climactic and
soil conditions reduce yields and concentrate flavors in the small, tight clusters of grapes. Two new blocks of
Viognier from our Southern Petaluma vineyards augment the grapes from our Los Carneros home ranch. These blocks
are even cooler than our Los Carneros vineyards because they are bathed in fog longer thus maintaining more racy
acidity levels that support Viognier's exotic fruit.
FERMENTATION AND AGING
In the winery, we have found that our Viognier responds particularly well to partial barrel fermentation.
In 2000, the grapes were 100% whole-cluster pressed to limit extraction of phenolics. The resulting juice underwent
a pre-fermentation oxidization to further reduce astringent compounds in the wine and was cold-settled overnight.
After racking the juice off its sediment, we inoculated our Viognier with selected yeast strains and cold-fermented
it in stainless steel. As the fermenting must reached approximately 12° to 16° brix we transferred it to
a complement of new 500 litre American oak Puncheons and used 225 litre French oak barrels to finish slowly to
dryness. Malolactic fermentation in this wine was blocked to accentuate its fresh acidity. Barrel-aged 5 months
on its yeast lees, our Viognier was stirred bi-weekly initially and monthly thereafter. To preserve as much freshness,
fruit and varietal character as possible, the finished wine was bottled in early May after a light filtration.
WINEMAKER'S COMMENTS
Our 2000 Sonoma County Viognier has a rich mouthfeel, crisp finish and a mouth-watering acidity. Consciously avoiding
the tendency in California to make this varietal in the style of Chardonnay, we have vinified our 2000 Sonoma County
Viognier more like the best northern Rhone examples. Meanwhile, modern winemaking techniques and partial stainless
steel fermentation give our wine more characteristic fruit appeal than those of France. Loaded with exotic melon,
flower and spicy notes, I feel this Viognier makes an ideal aperitif as well as a beautiful accompaniment to hedonistic
seafood dishes, such as lobster in a ginger-butter sauce.
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Cline Cellars 24737 Hwy 121, Sonoma, CA 95476
707/935-4310
Copyright ©2001 Cline Cellars Inc., All Rights Reserved