Vintage 2003

Conundrum began, from the 1989 vintage, with the goal of capturing a specific aroma—the haunting, spicy-floral scent of Muscat—and creating an entirely new flavor of wine by combining this sensation with those of other, equally individualistic white wine grapes in a completely nontraditional way.  Each year, in making the Conundrum blend, we start with as many as sixty distinctive lots of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Viognier and Muscat.  And each year—including this 15^th bottling—I am pleased with the way these multiple layers come together in Conundrum’s signature flavor, while the natural variations of each new vintage lend their subtle shadings to the wine.

In 2003, the climate differences in the areas where the grapes for Conundrum are grown were even more apparent than usual, so our harvest rolled in waves across the regions.  In the Napa Valley, source of our Sauvignon Blanc, cool, wet weather in the spring gave way to the late summer and early autumn warmth that allowed the fruit to develop its fullest, most aromatic and melon-like character.  This grape was the earliest we picked, from August 18 through October 4.  Our Muscat, from Tulare County, came in the middle.  Harvested on September 15 and 16, it attained an almost tropical lushness and orange-blossom aroma in the warm-to-hot climate of that area.  Monterey County, source of our Chardonnay, Sémillon and Viognier, remained cool virtually throughout the long growing season, so those grapes came in last.  Harvest there stretched into the first week of November, giving us elegant, beautifully balanced flavors in all three of these varieties.

This range of grape varietals and weather conditions gave us natural layers of aroma and flavor from the moment we pressed the grapes.  Then we increased the wine’s complexity even more by varying, for each separate wine lot, the type and age of oak barrel (some French, some American), the amount of time in barrel (up to seven months for some lots) versus stainless steel, and the amount of malolactic fermentation we allowed.  In the end, we had the broad palette we wanted for this wine:  aromas of apricot, white peach and honeysuckle; flavors of citrus, green melon, pear and vanilla; a creamy, mouth-filling texture; and a crisp, refreshing citrus end-note.

With this 2003 vintage, we have chosen to bottle Conundrum with a twist-top—a closure that is as untraditional, and perhaps as adventurous, as our wine.  We believe this twist top is the perfect tool to protect the fresh, fruity, bright flavors we worked to achieve in the vineyard and in the winery.

Jon Bolta
Winemaker/Production Director

Released December 2004
Suggested retail Price: $24
Suggested serving temperature: Lightly chilled