2023 Viognier
2023 marks my 16th vintage of Viognier for Sculpterra Winery! It’s my favorite white wine we make, and 2023 will go down in history as a remarkable vintage! Viognier is certainly a “Red Wine Drinker’s White Wine,” with its rich mouthfeel, strong structure, and big finish, and our Viognier is exactly that! White peach, nectarine, ripe cantaloupe, passion fruit and white flowers are just a few of its tasting characteristics. This wine has it all! Featuring stone and passion fruits alike, culminating with a big structure and hefty finish. Subtle nuances are gloriously present in this wine. A surplus of aromas and flavors are finely layered and incorporated throughout the length of its finish. Even flavors of lemon-lime, nectarine, peach, plum, pear, white blossom, and mandarin orange are evident from the nose. The taste is exquisite and full, giving lush textures with a perfect balance of acidity and perceived sweetness. Its somewhat elevated alcohol lifts the body with a lingering ripe fruit taste that continues on the finish. Drink from 2024 – 2030 for best results.
Our Viognier winemaking protocol is as follows: make each lot on its own, using different yeast and fermentation temperatures, then assemble a final blend once each lot is completed. This gives me the ability to construct 3 different Viogniers that bring unique and individualist taste to the final blend. The hand-picked grapes are not crushed, simply lightly pressed at 1.6 bars in order to release the juice for cold settling and fermentation to begin. Yeast ICV-D254 was selected for our Frankel Estate Vineyard Viognier for its ability to enhance structure and highlight stone fruits. Yeast BA-11 was used for Sukhy’s Viognier, it’s known to create floral notes as well as improve structure and finish. Finally Cross Evolution yeast was used for Robert Hall’s fruit and brings classic Viognier crisp apple and pear notes. We bottle the wine as soon as it’s ready! That’s an essential part in order to capture the youth, vibrance, and elegance in taste and flavor. In total, each lot fermented on average for 30 days before cold and heat stability was achieved.
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Varietal | Viognier |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Viognier |
| Appellation | Paso Robles |
| Vineyard | Frankel Family Estate, Sukhy’s Home Ranch, Robert Hall Home |
| Acid | 0.75 |
| PH | 3.36 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.65 |
| Alcohol | 14.80% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 02/02/2024 |
| Cases Produced | 1470 |
We experienced record-setting rain in 2023, along with a mild spring and summer, all of which set us up with remarkably high-quality fruit. This wine is 100% Viognier and a blend of three distinct Paso Robles Vineyards. The first, our own Frankel Estate Viognier Vineyard, is located in the El Pomar Sub AVA. It contains clay-loam soils and has drastic temperature swings that amplify the unique taste. Sukhy Suran’s Creston Road Viognier is situated on a super steep hillside with tight condensed rows that produce light tonnage, small berries, and concentrated stone fruit taste. Lastly, Robert Hall Home Vineyard is located next to Hunter Ranch Gold Course off 46 East in Paso Robles. This vineyard sits atop a small hill with two meandering creeks flanking the sides. These three vineyards were harvested at different target BRIX levels, ranging from 23.5 to 27.0; crafting a wine with complexity, diversity, and balance.
Paul Frankel
