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WINES By Chuck Hill
About Chuck
CHUCK'S CURRENT REVIEWS
BY VARIETAL
Chuck's Wine Reviews
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Wines of the Week Archive
Viognier and Friends - Oodles of Noodles
and For our 2011 evaluation, we have expanded our tastings to include other Rhone white varietals - Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc - along with Viognier. Perhaps the easiest part of understanding Viognier is the pronunciation, vee-own-yay. More difficult is deciphering the styles of the wines (and the styles of other Rhone whites) and their suitability to accompany food. The aroma profile ranges from intense peach and apricot to dusty mineral with pear, honey, and citrus. The palate impression is sometimes dry with mineral and stone fruits and sometimes sweet with apricot flavor and higher alcohol. We've just begun our 2011 evaluation of these Rhone varietals and we've found some very tasty wines to enjoy. Most of the wines this week are Viognier.
Accompanying these wines are spicy Asian dishes. We continue to be
impressed with takeout choices from Tasty Thai, an unassuming location
on Highway 99 in Edmonds, Washington. I'm sure you have a similar place
nearby. From the menu we selected Phad Thai with Chicken, Green Curry
with Chicken, Phad Bai Graplau with Pork, and Swimming Rama (chicken,
spinach and peanut sauce). All dishes were requested "2-star"
spiciness.
Barnard Griffin As winemaker Rob Griffin approaches his 35th Washington vintage, his wines have evolved and become standards for others in the wine industry to follow. At first pouring, the 2009 Viognier doesn't seem like a standout, but breathing up, re-tasting and sampling with food move it steadily up the scorecard. Aromas of earthy mineral, floral perfume and stone fruits lead to a citrusy palate that finishes with a kiss of vanilla. Great with Thai food and most other light cuisine.
Watermill Winery Tiny Milton-Freewater, Oregon is just 10 miles south of Walla Walla and is a center for viticulture in the Walla Walla AVA. The Brown family began farming the area in the 1950s and expanded into grape growing in 2001. The first Watermill wines were made by Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars, and in 2007 Andrew Brown took over winemaking duties. This Viognier takes you on tropical wings, forward aromas of honey, apricot and mango. Flavors of creamy stone fruits, spicy banana and pear lead to a finish of vanilla-pineapple cream.
This cleverly-named bottling comes from Hard-Row-to-Hoe Winery at Lake Chelan. The name celebrates the 1930s entrepreneurial spirit of a man who ferried miners across the lake in a rowboat to a brothel located at Point Lovely. Owners Don and Judy Phelps are the owners and winemakers who crafted this tasty Viognier offering aromas of bright pear, melon and light tropical notes. The palate offers flavors of stone fruits and mineral with a nice peachy finish. Very tasty with spicy Asian cuisine.
Pudding River Wine Cellars Pudding River Wine Cellars is located east of Salem, Oregon and is owned by the Bateman and Driggers families. Sean Driggers is the winemaker. This Viognier is a wine that shows complexity from the additional year of bottle age over many of the wines included in this review. The nose is of honey and spice with earthy notes of vanilla and stone fruits. On the palate, one tastes green tea, lemon, mineral and peach. Ample acidity and apparent dryness make it a superb food wine.
Celaeno Winery
Owner/winemaker Brian Countryman named his winery after one of the seven
sisters of Greek mythology (he has six sisters of his own). Aromas of
bright stone fruits, sweet tropical citrus and melon leads to rich
flavors of peach, mineral, honey and herb - with breathing-added flavors
of caramel and pineapple appear.
Genesis The Genesis program at the Hogue Cellars focuses on crafting varietal wines showing the best expression of Columbia Valley fruit. Specific vineyards and microclimates are identified for each varietal. The 2008 Viognier shows aromas of stone fruits and mineral with notes of juicyfruit gum and citrus. The palate offers flavors of pear, earthy vanilla, grapefruit and a hint of pineapple.
Eden Vale Winery Normal wine snobs might look at the vintage of this white wine, do some quick math and wonder if a three- to four-year-old Viognier is really what they were hoping for. Those of us experienced, Northwest wine snobs know enough to pull the cork before making hasty judgments. This little treasure has matured beautifully, showing aromas of tropical fruits, pineapple, dusty pear and mineral with corresponding flavors and a nice toasty vanilla and citrus finish. It pairs well with food, too!
Felicity Wines Paul McConnell and his wife Patty started their winery in Arlington, Washington, though they source their grapes from the east end of the Yakima Valley. Paul appreciates every aspect of wine from the sampling of grapes before harvest to selecting a wine to accompany a particular meal. His 2009 Viognier offers rich character from barrel treatment including aromas of ripe peaches with butterscotch and vanilla leading to lemony caramel flavors on the palate.
Pend d'Oreille Winery Way up north on the Pon-doray - that's the pronunciation of this French name meaning "hangs from ears," referring to the large shell earrings that were worn by the tribe of the same name when the earliest settlers arrived. Times have changed and the natives of Sandpoint, Idaho don't wear large shell earrings anymore, in fact they enjoy fine wine and gourmet food. Stephen Meyer crafted his spicy, peachy Viognier from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley. Aromas of earthy mineral, stone fruits and citrus lead to flavors of peach and baking spice.
Thurston Wolfe This non-traditional blend pairs the light and pear-flavored Pinot Gris with a smaller amount of the honey-peach-mineral character found in Viognier. Thurston Wolfe winery has seen great success with this wine as it pairs extremely well with a wide variety of lighter foods, including Northwest seafood. This vintage is lighter than last with aromas of earthy pear and stone fruits and a palate of apple and pear finishing with notes of anise and spice.
K Vintners Winemaker Charles Smith crafts a wide variety of wines under several labels and his 2010 Viognier under the K Vintners label is a wine that demands food. The style of this vintage is firm and tight with citrus, floral and stone-fruit character showing in both aroma and flavor. The wine responds well to pairing with spicy food - not in a soothing way, but almost more of a challenge. Sometimes the wine needs to let the food know who's boss.
Challenger Ridge This winery is located in the Skagit Valley town of Concrete near its several large plantings of Pinot Noir along Highway 20. Their satellite tasting room is just south of Hollywood Corner in Woodinville. Viognier fruit for this wine comes from the Yakima Valley and is whole-cluster pressed and barrel fermented in neutral oak with four months of sur lie aging. Look for aromas of tropical fruits and mineral leading to a sweet palate with stone-fruit flavors and a finish of pineapple-mango candy.
Wines from other areas:
Clayhouse Estate This wine blend includes 40% Grenache Blanc, 40% Roussanne and 20% Viognier. I have said before that I believe the future of Viognier and other white Rhone wines is in blending. This is a perfect example with notes of ripe tropical fruit and floral notes from the Viognier, mineral and lime-citrus from the Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. Excellent accompaniment to Thai food and the winner of our tasting for this column.
Wild Horse Crafted from 100% Viognier, this is a blockbuster expression of the flowers and tropical fruit associated with the varietal. Look for aromas of tropical apricot, honey, exotic floral perfume and stone fruits. The palate echoes the nose with the addition of candied pineapple and mineral. Serve as a luscious sipper or with spicy foods as a heat quencher.
Tablas Creek Vineyard Tablas Creek was founded by the Perrin family proprietors of Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Robert Haas, importer and founder of vineyard brands. Vineyards were planted west of Paso Robles in hillside areas that are similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This blend of 62% Roussanne, 26% Grenache Blanc and 12% Picpoul Blanc is a complex and intriguing wine that pairs well with Asian dishes but also with lighter fare of all types. Aromas of flinty earth, honeysuckle and green apple lead to a rich palate of lemon, mineral, herbs and a hint of caramel.
Bonterra Vineyards Bonterra has been producing wine from 100% organically-grown grapes since 1993, and the winemakers believe organic grapes make better wine. This North Coast Viognier offers aromas of stone fruits and citrus that mingle with tangy floral aromas. The palate is crisp with lemon, lime zest and mineral flavors, finishing with notes of peach and melon.
Eberle Winery Gary Eberle founded his eponymous winery in the Paso Robles AVA in 1983 and today the winery crafts 25,000 cases annually from the surrounding Estate vineyards. Three lots of Viognier were created one-third fermented in stainless steel, one-third fermented in neutral oak with stirred lees, and the remaining third fermented and aged sur lie in neutral oak. Aromas of earthy stone fruits, orange blossom and honey lead to a light palate of peach and lemon with a refreshing citrus finish. # # #
One-year
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