I’m all about women supporting women, so I’m always happy to reach for wine made by female winemakers. One of my favorites is Raft Wines, created by Jennifer Reichardt. I recently grabbed this Raft Wines JONQUILLE Love Ranch Viognier 2020 for a day by the pool.

As you guys may remember, I drank their Fleur Pour Ma Mère rosé not too long ago and was intrigued by their definition of a raft—1. A community of waterfowl, like ducks. 2. A community of friends and family, to keep you afloat. I had my duck floatie with me this time around, so I found the bottle to pair perfectly with my situation.

JONQUILLE means daffodil in French. Daffodils are some of the first flowers to bloom in spring, and their reemergence after a long winter brings up feelings of new beginnings; of bright skies, and fresh starts. The JONQUILLE is just that-a youthful, lively interpretation of spring.

Now for the geeky tech notes:
Up above the Central Valley, lies a vineyard in the foothills called Love Ranch. Organically farmed, 1300 feet elevation, and on Ahwahnee Vista soil—decomposed and weathered granite—this vineyard feels like a glimpse of the Rhone in California. Love Ranch is planted to many different varietals, and Raft is thrilled to get Viognier from the vineyard for the 2020 JONQUILLE.

This pick was Raft Wines first pick of the season, on August 15. There is always such excitement for the first pick of the season.

Once at the winery, the grapes were pressed whole cluster to tank. The juice settled for two days before being barreled in neutral oak and stainless-steel barrels. The fermentation occurred in barrel, in a cold storage room. Primary fermentation lasted 50 days, with malolactic fermentation occurring right after. Both were completed naturally.

The wine was aged sur lees for five months to develop texture. It was then racked clean off the lees and aged and additional two months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered on March 23, 2021.

Back to wine fun:
The wine is made from 100% Viognier. It was pale yellow in color with some white florals and lemon on the nose. It was dry with medium body, and medium+ acidity. It tasted like lemon, lime, green apple, and melon with zippy freshness. Very fresh and delicious for a day out in the sun.