On 1/31/10 10:51 PM, cwdjrxyz wrote:
> A single bottle of Quipe Santa Barbara, Los Olivos Vineyard Viognier
> 1991 surfaced. I had not been able to find it for a long time. I
> assumed it would be well past the peak. Most Viogniers that I have had
> are best very young and many become rather flat and lose fruit very
> soon. I have heard of a very few Viogniers, mostly rare sweet ones,
> that have aged very well, but none have come my way.
>
> This wine was properly stored since release. There were no issues, the
> fill was very high, and the cork was in top condition. The color was
> light yellow. To my surprise, the wine showed no decline at this
> extended age. There was still a floral character, difficult to define,
> some white fruit, and even hints of honey and vanilla. There was
> plenty of acid and a few tartrate crystals on the cork. The wine was
> fuller than many of this variety - somewhere between a French Condrieu
> and a classic white Hermitage. Needless to say, this wine escaped the
> fate of being used to cook some shrimp with some lemon juice added.
> The shrimp had to do with brine, herbs,and spices.

Thanks for the very interesting note. I assume that you mean Qupé, Bob
Lindquist's operation in Los Olivos. I have very fond memories of some
of his Syrahs, but can't recall ever having had his Viognier. Regarding
the comparison to White Hermitage, they are made from a mixture of
Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier in which Marsanne is usually the major
component, no?

Mark Lipton

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