Clayhouse Estate Rhone White Blend

Monday, March 11, 2013

“I’m just saying. Maybe you should think before you speak. Because you sound like a real hypocrite right now.”

I said I’m sorry, Sheila! Jeez! If you want to drink a wine with plenty of up-front honeysuckle, marzipan and floral fruit aromas, that’s your business.

“You’re right! It IS my business. And if I want to toss back a Cuvee Blanc with a little crisp lime-citrus minerality, who are you to say anything about it?”

I just think that boasting about fruit flavors like mango, citrus zest and lychee makes you sound kind of pretentious. I mean, what the heck is a LYCHEE anyway?

“Really, Jeff? REALLY? THIS from a guy who turns his nose up at any wine that isn’t rich in the mouth.”

I PREFER A VOLUMINOUS MOUTHFEEL AND WARM FINISH, OKAY?!

Total MSRP:   $ 117.00

• Harvest Date(s): October 7 and 21, 2011
• Harvest Brix: 24.2 average
• pH: 3.49
• Total Acidity: 5.9 g/l
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• Final Blend: 70% Grenache Blanc, 30% Viognier
• Bottling Date: February 27, 2012
• Case Production: 388 Six-Pack Cases

The fourth bottling of the Clayhouse Estate Cuvee Blanc comes once again from the estate Red Cedar Vineyard just east of Paso Robles. It’s a Rhone white blend of 70% Grenache Blanc from block 77 and 30% Viognier from block 75.  The Grenache Blanc vines are planted on fine alluvial sandy loam, in the growth-restrictive Arbuckle-San Ysidro soil type and the Viognier grows in calcareous sandstone and shale.

The Grenache Blanc was picked on October 21 and the Viognier on October 7. The goal was to pick at a sugar level that would provide plenty of body and natural acidity without any alcoholic heat. All of the grapes were hand-picked, and SO2 was added to the vineyard bins to prevent oxidation prior to whole cluster pressing (the fruit was not crushed). All of the juice fractions were kept separate, and the hard press was discarded. Cold fermentation for the Grenache Blanc and Viognier took place in mostly stainless steel (5% of the Viognier fermented in new Hungarian oak). The wines were blended after fermentation and stabilization. The finished blend is 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Viognier. Bottling took place on May 5, 2011.

Woot