2018 Gewurztraminer

2018 was another dry, but not particularly warm winter. This changed in early February. A system of high pressure brought daytime temperatures into the 70’s, warming the dry soil and initiating bud break much earlier than normal. In March an artic cold front settled in and brought nighttime temperatures down to freezing, risking frost damage to the new shoot growth. These ‘false’ springs, with record high temperatures have become much more common in recent years.

The Summer was mostly mild, leading to a normal to later harvest than other recent vintages. The wines are poised and complex with depth and structure. Yields were low due to the early spring, concentrating the wines and leading us to believe they have a long life ahead.
We harvest our 'Gewurz' in two passes. We look for this disparate ripeness in the two picks to bring complexity, intense varietal character and brightness to the final blend. The riper fruit shows more exotic character while the less ripe pick had crunchy acidity and more ginger and spice notes. Both lots were crushed on their skins and given approximately 24 hours of skin contact before pressing. The two lots were combined and fermented together, relatively cool (<60 degrees F) for two months.

Our Gewürztraminer displays classic lychee, jasmine and candied ginger aromatics. We strive for harmony in making Gewürztraminer, 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 'Gewürz', both in texture and flavor.
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 Gewürztraminer we source from Monterey County.