Winemaker Notes
This wine offers the rich texture of a reserve Chardonnay, but its fruit expression is distinctly Viognier. Layers of ripe apricot, juicy pear, and tropical fruit are lifted by bright citrus, creating a vibrant and deliciously expressive wine.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
The price tag had us fooled – this is a wonderfully balanced, floral white that’s flinty, with succulent pear nectar. Highlights of hyacinth and elderflower are on the verge of viscosity, with added notes of white rice and spiced garden herbs. Held up by a fine acid structure for which this variety often misses out.
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James Suckling
Aromas of apricots, peaches, orange blossoms and spices. The midweight palate has a soft, rounded texture and balanced acidity, giving a fruit-driven and lightly floral finish.
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 large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.