Steele Viognier 2009

Vineyards

The unique growing conditions of Lake County provide a few great places to grow Viognier. Our Viognier is a combination of the Fiora Family Vineyard and Dorn Vineyard. The Fioras have been growing Viognier grapes for us since 2000. Their vineyard is located on the north side of Lake County at 1500ft, just outside of the High Valley appellation. The Dorn family farms several different parcels of land but the one that is most intriguing is their home ranch hillside vineyard. This extremely sloped vineyard is nestled on the flanks of Mount Konocti. This mountain is an extinct volcano that dominates the landscape of the Clear Lake appellation. The high elevation in combination with volcanic soils, warm days and cool nights provided an excellent location to grow Viognier.

Winemaking

We ferment the juice in a small stainless steel tank then complete the fermentation in neutral oak barrels. As Viognier requires a great deal of attention, we watch over the barrels and stir them weekly, evaluating each one for aroma, flavor and color. The wine is then lightly filtered and bottled in  the spring to preserve the great Viognier perfume. This wine is unique and has flavors that complement Asian foods especially Thai cuisine.