2017 Brecon Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (Library, Club Only!)
Think Exotic. Gewurz, as it is known to its friends, tends to shy away from the traditional French cuisine end of town. Head down the side street and be a lot more experimental from the pairing point of view. Think Ginger, Madras and Cloves. It's intense floral aromatics are a treasure and much like the aromatics on a peaty Islay Malt you can absolutely lose yourself in the nose. Only needing to occasionally come up for air and take a sip. For the record the obvious Lychee and Pineapple will be complex in time adding more nutty almond overtones.
It is really about slow, cool fermentation and locking it away in neutral barrels for a number of years to “honey up”. One barrel you could have bottled straight away. The other needed a little for the aromatics to tone down a little and the acids to integrate. One suspects the free run was in the first barrel but most of the character and flavor was in the second. We only got this fruit once so make the most of it while you can.
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Varietal | Gewurtztraminer |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Webster Gewurztraminer
Adelaida District, Paso Robles
|
| Appellation | Adelaida |
| Sugar | 1.39g/100ml |
| Acid | 0.72g/100ml |
| PH | 3.93 |
| Aging | Drink Now - 2036 |
| Residual Sugar | 1.62g/100ml |
| Alcohol | 14.40% |
| Volume | 375 ml |
| Bottling Date | 03/23/2021 |
| Cases Produced | 97 |
For many years we picked a luscious Viognier off the Webster Ranch. The property is rich in non-traditional varieties for Paso Robles. Gewurz was by no means on Brecons radar, but having a somewhat sweet tooth and a curious mind, we did express interest in making a Late Harvest one day if by chance the grapes were not sold and the vintage was suitably dry/warm. Roll round to October 2017 and we got the surprise *knock, knock* on the barn door. Four years later, here we are at release.
