2023 Conduit
”Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Viognier
The Convergence of Aspect and Soil
Tasting Notes
Our 2023 Gold Dust Vineyard Estate Viognier opens with floral aromas of honeysuckle and white flowers, which invite you into the glass to experience lush flavors of mango, guava, and white nectarine. The wine is bursting with so much juicy fruit that you think it’s going to finish sweet, but then, just as you swallow, the wine drys out and leaves your mouth watering with a bright, fresh, yet supple acidity.
Winemaking
Process: 24 hour skin contact after grapes were destemmed
Fermentation: Indigenous yeast for 3 weeks
Aging: Old French Oak for 9 months on the lees
Bottling: Without fining for filtration
Ingredients: Organic grapes, indigenous yeast, 15PPM SO2 at bottling
Winemaker Notes
Vineyard
The Gold Dust Estate Vineyard is situated on a ridge line high in Southern El Dorado County. Planted in 2000 at 2,700’ elevation, the 100% decomposed granite on the property produce wines of particular complexity and structure. Specifically, our Viognier is planted on a north-facing slope, ripening the grapes with more indirect sunlight the further down you go, leading to vast difference in ripeness from the upper to the lower rows of the block. The diversity in the grape development yield a wine that has generous aromatics, while finishing off with significant body and structure, making this block one of the most interesting and special plantings of Viognier I have ever seen.
Vintage
The 2023 vintage was marked by a long, cool growing season, which allowed our fruit to hang and slowly develop phenolic ripeness, or harmony of the sugars with the acids in the grapes. A few late summer rains set the grape development back a few times, leading to even more extended hang time in what could amount to be one of the best vintages of my lifetime.
Varietal
I started making Viognier in 2013, living and producing wine in San Francisco. I was looking for a white grape variety that would pair well with foods people typically associate with SF…dungenous crab, oysters, shellfish, etc. The combination of generous aromatics, body, and structure (when picked at the right time), make it a perfect pairing with this “SF fare,” soft/fatty cheese, and a great casual sipper.