2016 2016 Jonquille
JONQUILLE means daffodil in French. Daffodils are some of the first flowers to bloom in spring, and their reemergence after a long winter brings up feelings of new beginnings; of bright skies, and fresh starts. The JONQUILLE is just that-a youthful, lively interpretation of spring.
Technical
Tasting Notes
With white floral notes, and lemon & lime, this wine is bright expression of the varietal. As it developed in fermentation, the stone fruit component evolved into bright nectarine. As malolactic fermentation completed, a nuttiness emerged to expose a richness to the wine. When consumed, the palate shows a fresh minerality, with lively acid, and a lengthy finish.
Details
Nestled up in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains lies a vineyard on a steep slope, tucked into the landscape. Blink, and you just may miss it. The viognier for the 2016 JONQUILLE bottling comes from this vineyard.
The vineyard was picked on August 27, 2016. The day started at pre-dawn, with coffee on the back of the pickup truck. At signs of first light, we placed our headlamps on and got to picking. We handpicked the block with loving care, finished in the early afternoon, and drove the grapes back down to Sonoma County.
Once at the winery, the grapes were pressed whole cluster to tank. The juice settled for two days before being barreled in neutral oak and stainless steel barrels. The fermentation occurred in barrel, in a cold storage room. Primary fermentation lasted 40 days, with malolactic fermentation occurring right after. Both were completed naturally.
The wine was aged sur lees for five months to develop texture. It was then racked clean off the lees and aged and additional four months before being bottled on May 8th, 2017.