2005 Pax Viognier, Aphrodite

It should come as no surprise that the grapes grown on this impossibly steep white volcanic ash covered mountainside nicknamed "las escaleras" or the staircase produce the kind of Viognier that has something to say. Unfortunately, nature limited the amount of what was said to less than 1 ton of perfectly ripe grapes. Production is less than ½ of what it was last year. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed directly into a combination of new and neutral French oak barrels. Once again the wine finished maloactic fermentation naturally and slowly, building complexity into this exotic young wine. This is a wine to enjoy in its vivacious youth with no more than 3 years in the cellar.

Tasting Note:
Peach skin, marzipan, crème caramel, nectarine and vibrant orange-blossom acidity highlight the exotic aromas of this wine. Sweet litchi, peaches and crème, canned pears and an intense mouth presence of dried apricot and tangerines build in the mouth. The finish is clean and bright while thicker in the mouth than the impressive 2004.