TN: 2013 Tercero Viognier White Hawk Vineyard

  • 2013 Tercero Viognier White Hawk Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (5/22/2017)
    This starts off a little light bodied right after opening then as it gets some air it gains in the body and complexity department. The bright acidity driven citrus fruits dominate the palate then some guava and pear slides in as it gains weight. A slight oily texture also becomes a little bit more prominent as it sits in the glass, in a good way that complements and adds to the complexity. A lingering finish that still retains that freshness and plenty of complexity to keep me coming back for more. A well done Viognier. I just wish I had some oysters to pair with it right now.
    90 points (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for sharing your note on this wine, Andy. This is my current release, and I believe its best days still lay ahead.

I am personally not a huge fan of most domestic viogniers, and I’ve run across so many people who feel the same. One of the biggest ‘issues’ I have with this variety is that it’s easy to get it really ripe, and when you do so, the pH really shoots up, leading to a ‘fatter’, flabbier’ wine. In addition, this ripeness also either leads to actual sweetness in the subsequent wine or ‘perceived’ sweetness because of the ‘over the top’ aromatic profile.

I pick my viognier based on pH - I shoot for about 3.4 or so to ensure that the subsequent wine still has good acidity and will pair well with food. This means that sometimes the wine will be picked at 22 brix and be about 13% alcohol like this vintage was, or picked at 24 brix and be about 14.2 alcohol, as my 2014 is.
I don’t mind these variances - but do mind viogniers which ‘double’ as dessert wines :slight_smile:

Cheers.

Definitely not fat or flabby in any way, that’s for sure. The next time I have this I’ll let it sit open for a bit prior to drinking. It did need some air to gets its legs right after popping it open. How long do you think this could age for?

I guess I’m supposed to ‘know’ but I really don’t have a specific answer [wow.gif] I do know that this wine ‘improves’ on day 2 and, to me, that means it will continue to ‘improve’ for still some time ahead.

Did you leave any for day 2? Curious to hear.

Cheers.

Hell no I didn’t leave any for day 2, I’m a Berserker after all [wow.gif]

Looks like I’ll need to get more…so much for the cutting back on buying thing.

Thanks for the note, Andy!!

I agree with Larry’s sentiment about how Viognier is often bottled either “sweet” or vinified in a manner that leaves a perceived sense if residual sugar on the drinker’s palate.