Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Viognier comes from 2 vineyards that they have worked with for several years now. They carefully blended the grapes from these two cool-climate sites to create the ultimate Viognier expression. They harvested nearly equal amounts from a hilly, sandy site called White Hawk, and the balance from the site that they planted in Santa Maria Valley about a decade ago. The 2022 vintage has all of the hallmark qualities of a proper Viognier, light, delicate, floral, honeyed, citrus, a stunning dry white wine. This vintage benefited greatly from the extra long hang time, yielding an intensely rich and perfumed Viognier - a real stunner!
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Viognier is a very pretty, delicate white. Sweet floral accents meld into apricot, mango and peach. This mid-weight Viognier is all class.
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.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.