Description
Vineyards: The Scheid Viento Vineyard is situated on a gradual east-facing slope on the western side of the Salinas Valley at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountain range. The soil is composed of well-draining, calcareous shale. The climate is cool and windy. Since our first vintage in 1984, we have been consistently impressed with the quality of Gew¸rztraminer we source from Monterey County.
Vintage: The 2015 vintage was the lowest yielding vintage in the thirty-five year history. The ongoing drought was only tangentially responsible for the loss of crop; as the warm, dry winter encouraged a record early February bud-break. March and early April were warm and dry, things seemed to be headed in a positive direction. In mid-April a persistent trough pared off the coast of Northern California gave five weeks of cold, wet and windy weather that killed off the blooming flowers in the vineyards. The good news, is that the quality is very, very high. The wines are immensely concentrated with tremendous intensity and life.
Winemaking: The ‘Gewurz’ was harvested in tow passes; in 2015 both occurred in early September. Disparate ripeness is found in the two picks to bring complexity, exotic varietal character and brightness to the final blend. The riper fruit shows more exotic character while the less ripe pick had crunch acidity and more ginger and spice notes. The riper lot was pressed whole cluster; the second lot was crushed on its skins and then pressed, giving this fraction almost a day of skin contact. The two lots were combined and fermented together relatively cool (<60 degrees F) for two months. Tasting Notes: 2015 Gewurztraminer displays classic lychee, jasmine and candied ginger aromatics. This is a more exotic styled vintage, likely due to low yields and warm weather. This grape seems almost naturally prone to excess, by crafting a wine with great balance of acid and fruit. This balance is key with great 'Gewurz,' both in texture and flavor.
