Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Ripened to a warm yellow glow on Mount Harlan’s ridgetops, this viognier smells of peach nectar kissed with oak. The aromas suggest it will be buxom, but the wine is pleasingly restrained, with mineral detail—an ideal match for shrimp scampi.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of toast, lemon preserves, orange marmalade and light almond paste show on the nose of this bottling, which is a very compelling substitute for Chardonnay. There is a toasty core to the sip, where seared melon and orange-peel flavors meet with sea salt and brioche.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Calera Viognier is a formidable example of this grape variety. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits excellent aromatics, but there more to this wine than just a pretty face. Enjoy its complex aroma of ripe apple, flowers, and savory spice with Thai Basil Chicken. (Tasted: November 28, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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.
At elevations reaching well over 2,000 feet, the Mt. Harlan AVA in the Gabilan Range is an anomaly among its surrounding Central Coast appellations. Recognizing the splendor of the area and its ideal limestone-rich soils, Josh Jensen chose Mt. Harlan as the home of his Calera Wine Company in the 1970s. Awarded his own AVA in 1990, Calera is the only commercial winery in the appellation.