Winemaker Notes
Elevating the essence of Paso Robles, our 2023 San Simeon Viognierradiates brightness and opulence with every sip. Ripe flavors of peach andstone fruit take center stage, heightened by a delicate touch of honey,creating a luscious palate experience. The nose offers an enticing bouquetof vibrant floral aromas, while subtle mineral notes echo the unique terroir ofour vineyard. Structured and impeccably balanced, this Viognier boasts asatisfyingly lengthy finish, epitomizing elegance and sophistication.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The nose is floral and fruit-driven with aromas of apricot, lavender and orange rind. The palate is medium-bodied with a generous mouthfeel and focused acidity, giving notes of nectarine, green papaya and red apple.
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Wine Enthusiast
Flinty, stony aromas give a mineral edge to the nectarine and singed Key lime touches on the nose of this bottling. That flinty character extends to the palate, playing against a backdrop of apple and pink grapefruit flavors.
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.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.