For this wine, we identified a particular block of Viognier that was in the fog belt and had both high humidity and the appropriate temperatures.  Also, we believed that the vines in this block had the strength to “go the distance”—to hold off dropping their leaves and going dormant for the winter until we picked the botrytis-affected clusters on December 8 and 9.

Weather conditions in the autumn of 2000 were ideal for botrytis. Light rains and misty fog provided the needed moisture, but there were no heavy rains that could have broken the grapes’ skins. The temperatures stayed high enough to promote ripening and help the grapes concentrate their juice into an amber-colored liquid with the distinctive botrytis flavor.  This complex flavor often asserts itself