Viognier 2021
MAZZA VINEYARD
Hand sorting in the vineyard and winery, barrel fermentation at cool temperature, and extended lees aging all help to create the delicacy, texture, and volume in this wine.
Sweet fruit and floral aromas are followed by a rich and creamy palate. This wine will reward extended cellaring to reveal even more complexity with time in bottle.
Viognier 2021
MAZZA VINEYARD
Inspired by the great Viognier wines of the old world, this is a wine arising from opportunity and risk/reward in the vineyard. Extended hang time in a challenging September and October allowed the fruit to fully ripen.
Hand sorting in the vineyard and winery, barrel fermentation at cool temperature, and extended lees aging all help to create the delicacy, texture, and volume in this wine.
Sweet fruit and floral aromas are followed by a rich and creamy palate. This wine will reward extended cellaring to reveal even more complexity with time in bottle.
SENSORY PROFILE
Pale gold in colour, the wine shows notable viscosity in the glass. Aromas of canned peaches and pears, wildflower honey, subtle spices, and a chalky/stony aroma fill the glass. The palate is full and rich, with a creamy texture and slight sweetness balanced by moderate acidity and a warm finish.
FOOD PAIRINGS
This wine pairs well with savoury poultry and fish dishes, vegetables such as squash and turnip, or a moderately spiced Pad Thai.
CELLARING POTENTIAL
This wine is approachable on release and will be showing best in 3-5 years. The wine will improve and gain complexity with time in bottle until at least 2030.
VINTAGE
The 2021 vintage started with relatively good vine and bud health from a small crop and mild winter. Summer temperatures were among the hottest on record and conditions were optimal for flowering and fruit set.
In August, what appeared to be an early and ripe vintage stalled due to drought. This was followed by record rains in September and October resulting in a rapid increase in cluster weight and dilution of berry contents.
Where harvest was able to be delayed until adequate ripening, most varieties are showing good fruit character early with delicate aromatic white varieties and fruit driven red varieties.
WINE DATA
Variety: 100% Viognier
Alcohol.: 13.6%
Residual Sugar: 4.8 g/L
Titratable Acidity: 5.9 g/L
pH: 3.29
Bottling Date: 2022-09-01
Production: 95 cases
VINEYARD AND HARVEST DATA
Appellation: Lincoln Lakeshore
Site: Mazza Vineyard
Soil: Jeddo clay loam
Clone: unknown (likely 642)
Rootstock: unknown
Vine Age: 2010 planting
Harvest Date: 2021-10-20
Yield: 3.6 T/ac
VINIFICATION
Due to the extended hang time, the grapes were sorted first in the vineyard during hand harvesting and again at the winery to keep only the desired clusters while including a significant amount of botrytis.
After sorting, the grapes were whole cluster pressed, and the juice settled at cold temperatures. Juice was racked to four French Oak barrels of various ages (1 new, 2 third use, 1 neutral), and each was inoculated with a selected yeast strain.
Following fermentation, the wine was aged on primary lees for nine months with stirring only in the first few weeks. The wine was then gently fined and clarified using only bentonite (no allergens/non-vegan fining agents were used), followed by filtration prior to bottling.
REVIEWS
“Nice nose – flinty aromatics with a lick of high quality oak. Fullish palate, attractive, tasty wine. I like the acids and the refinement, not a blowsy wine, contained, long finish. Very viognier in the end. Tasted blind at the NWACs 2023.” 92 points – John Szabo, MS
“Stony and honeyed, with subtle notes of flaked pastry. Elegant and complex with nice use of lees and neutral barrel. The finish is long and flinty” 92 points – Emily Walker
“Pretty and aromatic with orange blossom and exotic spice leading to a palate of fruit cocktail, dried peach and candied orange peel.”
91 points (Silver) – Decanter World Wine Awards 2023
“This is a lovely Vio with an impressive nose of apricot, jasmine, grapefruit, peachy/melon, ginger, and spice. It has a rich, almost oily texture on the palate with creamy notes to go with apricot tart, ginger in spades, peach preserves, a touch of wild honey (despite only 4 g/l of RS) and plenty of lift and finesse on the long, luxurious finish.” 92 points – Rick Vansickle, Wines in Niagara
“This is where the Rhone Valley meets Niagara, stylistically and in the flavour profile. In terms of texture, this is a rich and textural wine but staying away from the typical oily approach of the Rhone and instead keeping its focus and personality as a cool climate wine with a sense of precision. On the nose, the aromas are sensual and exuberant bringing loads of white flowers and tropical fruits while the palate displays apricot, bright pineapple, white peach, jasmine, honeycomb, ginger and white pepper. The sequence of flavours is flawless and precise, with great structure, well managed alcohol levels and bright acidity, which brings length and complexity. Everything you can expect from a premium Viognier… and much more!” 92 points – Carl’s Wine Club