“The viognier was much more prominent on the second night, with aromas of gardenia and jasmine dominant, rather than berries and spice. These syrah aspects were there, too, but the impression you had now was one of a spring garden, not a berry patch. The berries had become more distinctively huckleberry at the core, with the spice really coming through as you headed towards the finish line. Very good QPR, with its layers of fruit, flowers, and spice." - Dr. Debs on Good Wine Under $20

"" - Chateau Petrogasm Sorry! Sold Out! Geek Sheet Data for 2005 Calaveras County Syrah-Viognier

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Tasting Notes “It’s a floor wax!” “It’s a dessert topping!” While the name of this wine might cause you to remember an old sketch from Saturday Night Live, we feel pretty safe in advising you not to use this wine to brighten your floors. On the other hand the bright fragrances of blackberries and tart candy flavors of peaches might leave you with a hankering for cobbler served over vanilla ice cream. Or your girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Or spouse. Or lover. Or all of them at the same time... Production Notes In 2005 I took a trip to the southern hemisphere to spend a few weeks working vintage at an Australian winery called McLaren Vintners in, you guessed it, McLaren Vale in South Australia.  It was here while working for winemaker Ben Riggs that I learned about the concept of co-fermenting Viognier skins with Syrah fermentations.  While the French have been doing it for centuries (see Côte Rôtie and Côtes du Rhône), it is the Aussies that are pushing the envelope in terms of just how much Viognier they are adding, and how.The Canterbury Syrah was harvested late September in 2005 and crushed into an open-top fermenter.  Two days later we received some beautiful Viognier from the Sumu Kaw vineyard in El Dorado County.  We GENTLY pressed SOME of the Viognier juice off of the skins (It is in the pulp and skins where the highest concentration of terpenes are held.  Terpenes are the compound that gives Viognier, Gewurtztraminer, Muscat and Reisling their exotic jasmine and apricot aromas).  We then emptied the “Sloppy Skins” into a bin and dumped them onto the top of our Canterbury Syrah.  The must was punched down for a few more days prior to starting fermentation.  The decidedly feminine character of the Viognier seems to compliment the burliness and plum and leather components of the Syrah.  Ultimately, it is a very different experience than straight Syrah and we hope to expand on this in future vintages. - Fermento     TECHNICAL NITTY GRITTY Varietals & Vineyards:93% Syrah from Canterbury Vineyard7% Viognier from Sumu Kaw VineyardHarvest Date:September 26th, 2005Oak Program:30% new French oak70% two year old French oakFood Pairings: Stuffed Turkey!Who needs cranberry sauce?

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