Palate

Viognier texture and volume, but without excessive weight.

Style

With each vintage, as the vines get older, the wine becomes more restrained and confident. Aromatically it is varietal Viognier, but with nuance. The finish is less dependent on acidity as it is on phenolic persistence.

Food Pairings

Lobster

Vineyard

Boisseau Vineyard is owned and operated by Richard Boisseau. It is located in Front Royal Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley at about 600 feet in elevation, about 5 miles west of Linden. The vineyard was planted in 2000. It is vertically shoot positioned. Viognier is planted on a high bluff above the valley floor. Exposure is west. Soils are a deep clay/silt loam.

Vintage

Bud break was slightly late. May was unusually dry and consequentially accelerated growth and flowering. Right around flowering June turned very wet, however pollination and berry set was successful, as temperatures remained warm. Wet spells continued into July and we were bracing ourselves for a possible negative impact on wine quality. The rains stopped in mid-July, but shoot growth continued into early August, which is later than ideal. With a very dry August, vine growth eventually stopped and vines were in fairly good balance going into harvest, but quite vigorous. Warm, dry weather accelerated ripening. Harvest was an early September 3, 2015.

Winemaking

Chilled grapes were sorted, pressed, juice settled and browned. Barrel fermented in neutral French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 7 months. 75 cases produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for several years post bottling. Alcohol 13.3%. Total acid 5.7 g/l.

Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2015 Vintage | 2015 Boisseau Viognier