A single bottle of Quipe Santa Barbara, Los Olivos Vineyard Viognier
1991 surfaced. I had not been able to find it for a long time. I assumed it would be well past the peak. Most Viogniers that I have had are best very young and many become rather flat and lose fruit very soon. I have heard of a very few Viogniers, mostly rare sweet ones, that have aged very well, but none have come my way.This wine was properly stored since release. There were no issues, the fill was very high, and the cork was in top condition. The color was light yellow. To my surprise, the wine showed no decline at this extended age. There was still a floral character, difficult to define, some white fruit, and even hints of honey and vanilla. There was plenty of acid and a few tartrate crystals on the cork. The wine was fuller than many of this variety - somewhere between a French Condrieu and a classic white Hermitage. Needless to say, this wine escaped the fate of being used to cook some shrimp with some lemon juice added. The shrimp had to do with brine, herbs,and spices.