2003 Los Robles Viejos White Wine

Los Robles Viejos White started out, in 2000, as a pretty "serious" wine. It was comprised of equal parts Roussanne and Viognier, but Roussanne, being a heavier wine, really dominated the blend. I think it was quite a wonderful wine, but I longed for something prettier, maybe just a bit less "serious." In 2001 the Marsanne vines began to give some fruit, and it brightened things up a bit, but still the Roussanne had the loudest voice in the choir. Last year I shook things up a little and gave Viognier first chair, and I really like the way it worked out. What we've got here is 39% Viognier, 33% Roussanne, and 28% Marsanne, and the change just shifted things away from the direction of "serious" and over into the domain of "pretty." I think it's the most seamless, and elegant blend thus far, from the white varieties in this vineyard.

FRUIT SOURCE:

Rozet Vineyard, Paso Robles. Planted in 1998, in limestone soils, roughly a mile west of Highway 101, in the hills west of town. It's hot in Paso in the Summer, with daytime temperatures reaching into the 100's, yet by mid-afternoon, the westerlies begin to come into play—strong, cooling winds racing through the "Templeton Gap," and bringing the mercury down overnight into the 50"s (and sometimes below). The limestone seems to give wines of both firm structure and great finesse. It also lends a minerally side to the aroma and taste profiles of the wines grown in it. Grapes at Rozet are farmed with great attention to detail, and yields are restricted to maximize fruit intensity.

WINEMAKING NOTES:

All grapes hand picked, and whole-cluster pressed into 19 year old French puncheons. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in barrel, following the primary ferment. Wines racked out of wood in March, 2004 and blended. Bottled in May.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTES:

Some gold in the color. Aromas include honey, peach, green apple, white flowers, a whiff of ginger, seashell, and rock/clay. In the mouth there's an underlying impression of minerality amid flavors of honeyed apricot and peach, and a faint suggestion of salinity. Finishes long, and, yep... pretty.

• Production: 350 cases
• Suggested Retail: $24.00
• Release Date: September 2004

PRODUCED AND BOTTLED BY INTUITION AND BLIND LUCK Under the direction of Steve Edmunds, winemaker.