Winemaker Notes
This 2018 Viognier will command your attention from the moment the cork is popped. The bouquet is compelling — expressive with varietal notes of white flowers, nectarine, orange blossom and wet stone. At fist sip, peach and honeysuckle flavors dominate the palate, slowly giving way to the mouthwatering acidity that lingers with vibrant oroblanco grapefruit and mandarin orange.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Dried apple and honeysuckle meet with lemon peel on the nose of this bottling from a regional Rhône pioneer. The palate is fresher, offering apple and pear flavors atop a persistent acidity.
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.