2003 Fume Blanc
2003 Fume Blanc
Wine Notes
by Barnard Griffin
Vintage Notes
The 2003 Fumé Blanc has good aromas of fresh flowers and herbs backed with vanilla scents. This vintage shows good acidity and crispness. The flavors are dominated by ripe melon with faintly grassy hints in the finish. This wine has great acidity and fantastic palate impression. The 2003 Fumé Blanc could be the best vintage I have made in years.
2003 Fume Blanc
Vineyards
The 2003 vintage year was a hot, dry Washington State vintage. That meaning a warm spring followed by a hot and dry summer and a cool but dry fall for longer ripening. The wines from 2003 are incredibly full with both great acidity and sugars at harvest.
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 2003 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 vineyard used in my 2003 Fumé Blanc:
Ancora Estate Yakima Valley
Balcom and Moe Columbia Valley
Sagemore Columbia Valley
Stonehenge Columbia Gorge
Wahluke Slope Columbia Valley
Remember, as always, there is Semillon in our Fumé Blanc: this year we blended 17% barrel fermented Semillon into this wine.
Wine Making
Cool fermentation aprox 10% in new and used French barrels
Prise de mousse and ICV-D47 yeasts used