“Cold
Heaven Viogniers are enticingly spicy, with crushed
minerals and roasted peaches. These Viogniers are the
best produced in California!”
Rajat Parr, Wine Director
The Mina Group Restaurants
(Las Vegas,
San Francisco, San Jose) |
Cold
Heaven has a keen focus on cool climate Viognier.
My tasting experiences from traveling yearly to the
Condrieu region of France, copious tasting of California
Viogniers, and experimentation with different vineyards
and microclimates has led to my belief that Viognier
which maintains a natural acidity is the best expression
of the grape.
Cold
Heaven's definitive style is fresh, bright, and delicious,
alone or with food. In working with three different
vineyards, each in its own microclimate within Santa
Barbara County, I have learned which clone works best
in each area.
Since 1996, my pursuit
of producing the best wines from unparalleled vineyard
sources has deepened my passion for Viognier. The need
to produce something extraordinary propels me to make
these wines and give people the opportunity to taste
Viognier the way it should be: complex; lively; and
fresh.
My technique allows the fruit from each vineyard to
speak clearly within the structure of the wine. The
grapes are harvested between 23-24 brix, a balanced
ripeness which avoids high alcohol. The grapes are gently
pressed and left to settle for 24 to 48 hours to separate
out solids. The juice is put into neutral, older French
oak barrels for primary fermentation until malolactic
fermentation is complete. Each wine matures at
its own rate. Wines are fined, cold stabilized, and
left unfiltered for bottling. All the wines, while being
fruit driven, are fermented dry.
Cold Heaven wines develop nicely in bottle, some drinking
fresh up to 5 years, atypical of most California Viogniers.
"Deux
C", is an international blend made up of Sanford
& Benedict vineyard fruit from Santa Barbara County,
combined in equal parts with legendary winemaker Yves Cuilleron's French grapes from the Northern Rhône
appellation of Condrieu.
Finally,
for those rare times when a Viognier just won't do, I
offer a Syrah "Second Sin," from the Clendenen family's own Le
Bon Climat Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley.
Morgan Clendenen
Owner and Winemaker, Cold
Heaven Cellars |
