Winemaker Notes
We harvest this grape at a high level of flavor maturity. The wine is fermented cold in stainless steel and sees a very small amount of French oak. By bottling in early March we capture the fresh fermentation aromas and attractive varietal character. Our Viognier is a highly aromatic wine with bright notes of citrus peel, orange blossom and peaches.
Echelon Viognier pairs well with summer dishes such as grilled sea bass with oregano and tomatoes, caramelized scallops over baby lettuce, Swiss chard raviolis, grilled polenta, roasted eggplant with garlic, and grilled chicken with herbs. The wine also makes a wonderful aperitif. -Stephen R. Dooley, Consulting Winemaker
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.