Winemaker Notes
A dynamic balance of fresh fruit, floral notes, and minerality, the 2019 Viognier is sure to please quite a range of palates. Electric notes of white flower, nectarine, and tangerine skin meld with piquant ginger and wet stone. Showing the perfect amount of tension, the palate is laced with fresh acidity and a lengthy mineral-focused finish. Vibrant flavors of peach, lemon crème, and crush shale provide a delectable equilibrium in this delightful vintage.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Light honey and hints of pineapple come through on the nose of this old-vine bottling. The palate continues with a honey flavor, picking up honeysuckle, jasmine and more pineapple as well, with just enough acidic backbone.
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.
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.