Viognier-Marsanne 2020
A Rhone-inspired Estate Blend of two amazingly complementary grapes.
In this singular blend, the intense stone fruit and floral aromas of Viognier link to the orange peel citrus accents and ethereal texture of Marsanne. Whole bunch pressed, fermented in neutral French oak barrels, and aged on lees for 6 months to promote texture and complexity.
The trick with Viognier-Marsanne is to capture exactly the right blend of the two grapes, allowing the Viognier’s chameleon-like versatility to promote and accentuate Marsanne’s comparatively subtle profile. This blend of 16% Marsanne has proven effective in promoting the finer varietal intricacies of the grape without diminishing the fruitful vivacity of the Viognier.
84.1% Viognier, 15.9% Marsanne
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2019
Varietal
Viognier & Marsanne
Appellation
Golden Mile Slopes
Cases Produced
220
Acid
5.8 g/L
pH
3.7
Aging
Drink now through 2026
Residual Sugar
2.5 g/L
Alcohol %
14.4
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Clean, bright and inviting pale white-gold. Prominent notes of ripe peaches and apricots, tangerine, lightly toasted marshmallow and white tea. Palate is smooth and rich, with integrated acidity mid-palate to finish. This is one of our higher-alcohol V-M's but does not show the “heat,” rather the development of higher alcohols give the wine more impressive weight and length. A big white but still dynamic and structured, lively spiced orange on the finish and more perfumey florality emerges at the end.
Production Notes
100% from Intersection's vineyards, picked October 3, 2020. Crushed and destemmed with a 2 hour press soak, followed by 8 months fermentation and aging in neutral French oak barriques and puncheons. Batonnage was 2x/weekly for three months and then scaled back to once a week, then twice a month over the last month of aging.
Food Pairing Notes
Pair with savoury apricot, walnut and ricotta tarts or stuffed pork chops.
Other Notes
Viognier is growing in popularity in the south Okanagan, and suits the soils and conditions of our site very well. Marsanne is a close relative of Viognier from the Rhone valley in France, and while it's normally used as a blending grape, we find that it lends structure, earthiness and density to the palate of the bright and aromatic Viognier, and shines brilliantly on its own or in this blend. Using these two varieties, we craft this wine as our flagship white and aim to showcase its versatility and texture as well as some longevity for aging. This wine is from an exemplary South Okanagan vintage and it shows round, ripe fruit and rich palate weight.