2017 2017 Cavaillon
CAVAILLON is a bright orange melon, sharing a name with the town in southeast France where it is grown. The melon is known for its endless floral aromatics and rich flavor. The Raft Wine CAVAILLON is a skin fermented Viognier, a dedication to the melon with it’s beautiful color, texture, and taste.
Technical
Tasting Notes
As a skin fermented white wine, it is often hard to just exactly describe. On the nose, it has a beautiful baked apple aroma, with hints of dried mango and a light hint of white flowers blooming on a hot day. On the palate, it has rich tannins to evoke a lengthy finish. Notes of salty caramel, apricot, and juniper. It’s just one you have to try!
Details
Up above the Central Valley, lies a vineyard in the foothills called Love Ranch. Organically farmed, 1300 feet elevation, and on Ahwahnee Vista soil – decomposed and weathered granite – this vineyard feels like a glimpse of the Rhone in California. Love Ranch is planted to many different varietals, and Raft is thrilled to get Viognier from the vineyard for the 2017 CAVAILLON.
This pick was Raft Wines first pick of the season, on August 22. There is always such excitement for the first pick of the season, and Raft was honored to have close friends there to ring in the new season.
Once in the winery, the grapes were 100% destemmed and fermented in a small bin. It was gently punched down twice a day, before being pressed in a small ratchet press. After a time in barrel, it was racked off the gross lees (heavy sediment) and returned to finish it’s secondary fermentation in neutral oak barrel.
The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered on July 27, 2018