Better Branding, Fewer Seeds
TASTING NOTES: “The aromatics of honeysuckle, chamomile, and a ripe nectarine draw you in to this complex version of Viognier. With a bright acidity and a defined mineral streak, the palate shows off lemongrass, key lime, and toasted bread. A counterpoint to the very ripe, often overblown style that Viognier has become notorious for. The picking decision was geared to produce fresher aromatics, bracing natural acidity and an all-over livelier wine. A combination of oxidative must treatment, fermentation by indigenous yeasts, and malolactic fermentation is used to build complexity and texture in the wine.” (AbV 11.9%, pH 3.27, TA (g/100mL): .65)
VARIETALS: 100% Viognier
BARRELS: Not specified.
PAIRS WITH: N/A
THAT REMINDS ME OF: Key lime.
Real one’s rarer than the name suggests. The tree that gave “key lime pie” its name barely grows in the Keys anymore — a 1926 hurricane flattened most of the groves, and when growers replanted, they mostly switched to Persian limes, which are bigger, seedless, and don’t shatter every few years when a storm rolls through. So the fruit that’s supposedly the whole point of the dessert is now a minority ingredient in most versions of it; a lot of “key lime” pie is Persian lime juice with better branding, or just bottled concentrate, which the actual key lime purists consider a small crime.
The lime itself isn’t even from Florida originally — it’s native to Southeast Asia, got to the Caribbean by way of Spanish traders, and only picked up “key lime” as a name once it made itself at home in the Keys long enough that Americans forgot it came from anywhere else. Everywhere outside the US it’s just called Mexican lime or West Indian lime, which is a much less romantic name for a pie.
ICYMI, you have two choices:
- Worried Summer heat might get to your wine before your wine gets to you? Order from the sale linked here, and we’ll get it to you at a cooler time of year!
- Want it shipped now? Every package during the summer will have protected temp control ground shipping for much of the country that takes longer but will ensure safe delivery. Expect up to two weeks for delivery. Now through the September 12th offer.
