2014 Stolpman Vineyards Viognier Ballard Canyon 750 ml

Lychee, Pear, and Beeswax: 91pt Stolpman Viognier

Lots happened in the wine world in 2015. California suffered through its fourth consecutive drought year. Bordeaux, if we’re to believe early reports out of the Place (admittedly tough to trust those guys!), had still another miracle harvest, with some suggesting a magical combination of 2009 and 2010. Start saving now for the 2015 Brunellos and Barolos; again, it’s still early on, but Italy’s most sought-after reds may outpoint the stunning 2010s.

But perhaps the biggest story of all is about the pricing of fine wine. As the rich get richer worldwide, the high-end market is percolating. Small-production sales of California wines soared. Despite copious harvests in 2012 and 2013, somehow there seems to be more demand than supply.

While WineAccess featured more 100-point wines in 2015 than we had in the preceding four, our search for excellent under-$20 California whites mostly felt like a Sisyphean challenge.

Finally, here’s one that didn’t get away.

Over the last several years, we’ve written volumes about the limestone-strewn hillsides of Ballard Canyon and the magnificent Syrahs of Stolpman Vineyards. But until today, we haven’t written a word about winemaker Sashi Moorman’s most exquisite white.

When the Stolpmans planted their sprawling property in 1992, they set aside 4 acres bordering Beckmen’s Purisima Mountain on the far western edge of the ranch for Viognier. Moorman originally intended to co-ferment a small batch of Viognier with Syrah, as they do in Côte-Rôtie. But as the winemaker conducted experiments with pure Viognier, it became clear that, much like the limestone hillsides above Ampuis, Ballard Canyon is uniquely suited for the world’s most exotic white variety.

The 2014 vintage was Santa Barbara’s third consecutive drought year. Moorman opted to night-pick in the last week of August to preserve acidity and then practiced classic, non-interventionist cellar protocol. Whole-cluster fermentation was carried out at extremely low temperature, allowing indigenous yeast to ferment slowly, extracting the ripe pear and lychee-like aromas that so distinguish top-notch Viognier. Just 13% in finished alcohol — bottled without any addition of sulfur dioxide.

Pale golden-green. Gorgeous nose of fresh flowers, lychee, pear, and tangerine. Rich, weighty, yet perfectly high-toned on the attack. Infused with a wonderfully fresh and lively mix of blood orange, lemon pith, pear, and beeswax, finishing with excellent persistence and tension. Drinking beautifully on release, but don’t be afraid to lay down this beautiful estate-grown and -bottled Viognier for 2-3 years. Olfactory dividends will be paid out to the patient.

$25 on release. Just $16.99 this morning for an exotic white wine bargain — in a year where under-$20 coastal bargains were so tough to find.