2004 Fume Blanc

Wine Notes

by Barnard Griffin

Vintage Notes

The 2004 Fumé Blanc has aromas of citrus and herbs. This Fumé has great acidity and crispness. The flavors are dominated with ripe melon and faintly grassy hints in the finish. This wine has excellent acidity and fantastic palate impression. You will find this vintage of Fumé Blanc brighter on the palate for greater length and finish.

Vineyards

The 2004 harvest was a most typical Washington State growing season. A cool spring and hot summer followed by a long fall led to great ripening. Sugars were moderate and the acids very good. My winemaking philosophy is that in most cases a blend of different vineyards will produce a wine of greater character and complexity beyond the ‘one vineyard’ wine.

The 2004 Fume Blanc is the perfect example of a great vintage and my philosophy of blending many vineyard sites to make a truly exciting wine. Here is a breakdown of the vineyards used in my 2004 Fumé Blanc:

Alder Creek Columbia Valley
Millbrant Vineyards Wahluke Slope/Columbia Valley
Sagemore Columbia Valley
Stonehenge Columbia Gorge
Wahluke Vineyard Columbia Valley

Remember, as always, there is Semillon in our Fumé Blanc: this year we blended 5.2%
Semillon into this wine.