December 2006 Wine Tasting Notes: "Do y'all have any sweet wine?"
2004 Cambria Late Harvest Viognier, Tepusquet Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley.
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Light golden straw in color. The nose offers floral notes of orange blossom, tangerine and a hint of peach. The palate shows light honey and dried pineapple notes with a mineral edge. The finish is comprised of tangerine and grapefruit with mineral notes. The alcohol somewhat dominates the palate and, along with the prominent minerality, makes for an assertive backbone. |
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RWB Score: 89 breakdown 15.0% Alcohol 8.0 g/100mL residual sugar 375 ml bottles
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Streamlined and bright, this late harvest Viognier is liqueur-like in mouthfeel. It seems somewhat dry for a dessert wine, but that is a result of the juxtaposition of light flavors and aromas with higher alcohol levels. The prominent minerality (a common trait of this varietal and wines from the Cambria estate) accentuates this character. This offering will appeal to those who find most late harvest and dessert wines too syrupy or cloying, while lovers of rich, sweet dessert wines should still find their sweet tooth satisfied. |
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More Cambria reviews. More on Santa Maria Valley |
100% Tepusquet Vineyard Viognier. These grapes were hand harvested at 35 degrees Brix and aged two weeks in 100% French Oak. Bottled at 10 degrees Brix.
Viognier is a Rhône varietal rapidly becoming popular in California. In addition to being offered as a single varietal, it is often blended with Roussanne to make white Rhône blends and is also used in that region (and in California) to soften Syrah and Syrah-based red blends. It is being experimented with in unconventional blends with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. At its best, it shows perfumed floral aromas with tropical fruit flavors and a rich, almost viscous mouthfeel with a prominent mineral element. It is less apt to take on dominant oak characteristics than Chardonnay. Aromas and flavors typical of Viognier include: Acacia, Anise, Apricot, Guava, Honey, Kiwi, Mango, Mint, Orange Blossoms, Pineapple and Tangerine as well as mineral notes.
Grapes harvested later in the season, can be affected by Botrytis cinerea - the fungus that attacks the grape skins, causing the fruit to shrivel and become dehydrated. This is likely to happen in conditions of alternating damp, misty mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. The fungus infests the grapes, leaving them shriveled, dehydrated, and super-concentrated. This is called Noble Rot. In conditions of constant dampness and cold, Botrytis destroys the grapes and makes the crop unusable - this is called Grey Rot. In addition to concentrated flavors and sugars, there are unique flavors of Botrised grapes which originate from the fungus and are extracted during wine production. These can be characterized as smoky, creamy, nutty or musky with a dried fig quality. Neither Grey nor Noble Rot are common in dry climates with constant sunshine such as the Rhône Valley or the Central Coast.
The 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual - at the start of August. Crop yields were 6% lower than the previous year. It all started with a warm spring, progressed to a mild summer and ended with a burst of heat at the end (with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in some places) which accelerated ripening. The heat-boosted ripening resulted in increased must weight for some growers. This warm harvest season, more than the shortened growing season, may have been crucial to the character of this offering in affecting development of Botrytis. Viognier tends to ripen somewhere in the early half of the harvest season and in a shortened growing season, early ripening varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir may be less affected while varieties that require longer hang time (like Cabernet) may display imbalance because of the truncated time on the vine. It would seem then that this offering has, in general, escaped the trappings of a truncated growing season. However it was in the dry November weather, which limited the development of Botrytis, that the 2004 vintage is most uniquely expressed here. According to the Wine maker's notes, there was a delay in Botrytis setting in on the grapes. Eventually some Botrytis did develop but it may not have optimally contributed to the flavor profile of this wine. The concentration of flavors and sugars is there (and may be a result of natural dehydration rather than Botrytis) but the typical 'bot profile' is not very distinct.
What is now known as Cambria's Tepusquet Vineyard is situated in the eastern, and warmest, end of the Cambria estate. It is a respected source of Syrah and Viognier. In 1986, Barbara Banke and her husband Jess Jackson (Founder of Kendall-Jackson Wines), purchased a portion of the original Tepusquet Vineyard (planted by Louis Lucas, his brother George and their partner Alfred Gagnon in 1970 and 1971). On that land, they created a 1,405-acre estate complete with a winery and cellar. The current Cambria estate is subject to marine influences (the Pacific is just 17 miles to the west) and has southern sun exposure. The vineyard's location on a slope also protects it form the strong winds blowing through the Santa Maria Valley. The vineyard soil is composed of well-draining sand (the area is an ancient river bed) which is believed to encourage growth of fruit with dense and concentrated flavors. The cooling effect of the Pacific air helps preserve optimal acid levels and varietal characteristics.
The twenty year-old Cambria estate grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Viognier. The goal of the Vineyard Manager-Winemaker team is to bring out the individual characteristics of the various portions of this cool-climate estate. The core of Cambria's production (a reported 90% of total production) is made up of Katherine's Chardonnay, Julia's Pinot Noir (from vineyards named after Barbara and Jess' daughters) and Tepusquet Syrah. In addition, the Bench Break Vineyard is planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Grown in the toughest soils and exposed to the coolest temperatures in the estate, wines from this vineyard display a more distinctly mineral character that those produced from other portions of the estate. All the wine making efforts are under the auspices of Denise Shurtleff. She is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Food Administration. Joining Cambria in 1999, Denise arrived with 16 years experience as Winemaker and Winery Manager at Corbett Canyon Vineyards. Her focus is on bringing out varietal characteristics and complexity in each wine reflective of the estate's terroir.
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5 points |
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Nose |
4 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Astringency/Minerality |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
4 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
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