Whetstone Wine Cellars Catie's Corner Vineyard Viognier 2014
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The center piece of our property is a 19th Century, French-style Chateau built by Hamden W. McIntyre, an expert in gravity-flow winery design. McIntyre designed several local gravity-flow wineries, including: Eschol (now Trefethen), the Seneca Ewer (Beaulieu), Greystone and Inglenook (Rubicon). In 1885 construction was complete of the “Hedgeside” winery and co-located distillery operations and caves. Many phases of the building have come and gone since 1885. From family deaths, the business changing hands, 14 years of Prohibition, but the beauty of the estate has always remained. Whether enjoying some of our Sonoma Coast or Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, Carneros Chardonnay, cult favorite Russian River Valley Viognier, or Napa Valley Syrah we relish the opportunity to indulge your wine country experience.
Full-figured and charmingly floral, Viognier is one of the most important white grapes of the northern Rhône where it is used both to produce single varietal wines and as an important blending grape. Look for great New World examples from California, Oregon, Washington and cooler parts of Australia. Somm Secret—Viognier plays a surprisingly important role in the red wines of Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône. About 5% Viognier is typically co-fermented with the Syrah in order to stabilize the color, and as an added benefit, add a subtle perfume.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.