Chardonnay Harvest 2008
For 2008 we again harvested two Chardonnays. One will be from our Feuille D’Or property just south of Oliver, and the other will be from our Firman property just north of Oliver. The grapes from these two properties are used to make our Celeste and Deja Chardonnays respectively. I have decided to change things just slightly this year and do the Deja entirely in stainless steel- that’s right sports fans! Le Vieux Pin will be releasing an un-oaked Chardonnay- we are all about giving options to our clients.
Read more after the bump…
Another change this year is that neither Chard will go through malo-lactic fermentation; I just don’t like the idea of replacing good apple characteristics with those buttery flavors created during the malo process. Celeste Chardonnay is exhibiting ripe apple, peach, and pear aromas framed by vanilla and smoke. The palate is rich, crisp and balanced. Deja remains to be seen as it is still fermenting. Both Chardonnays were fermented at cool temperatures to retain all the delicate aromatics. Chard lovers of the world unite! Don’t succumb to the dark side and become one of those ABC people (Anything But Chardonnay). These two are going to be good and VERY limited.
In addition to the Chardonnays we are working on Gewurztraminer. With the coolness of the year and picking in late fall, we seem to have been able to harvest our Gewurztraminer with all the varietal characteristics people have come to expect in this grape. Fans of the 2007 will be delighted to know that we have a bit more to go around this year. The grapes are sourced from two different sites and you can expect to get the distinction of two separate terroirs combined to create a beautiful Gewurztraminer, exhibiting classic aromas of lychee and rose petal.
Finally, we will debut a new varietal for Le Vieux Pin this year! We were fortunate enough to be able to get our hands on a small amount of Viognier. Although it is still early, this promises to be extremely exciting for our clients. As a stand-alone varietal Viognier is wonderfully aromatic, but it can also function as a blending component for our Syrah. It has long been the custom in parts of the Rhone Valley to co-ferment these two varietals and we were able to parcel off a small percentage of Viognier to try and bring some of that Rhone Valley tradition to LVP.
~ James Cambridge, Wine Maker
Le Vieux Pin
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I love Gwertz! top 3 wine for me especially if it has those Lychee Rose pedal notes!! and good acid
Had a glass of their Vaila Pinot Noir Rose 2007 the other nite, paired with grilled albacore tuna, squid and San Marzano tomato ragout… it was just great!