Why Viognier

A friend/mentor in the wine industry recently asked me, “Why Viognier? Did you’re dad bust out a bottle of Condrieu and you just had to reproduce that? Who do you look to for inspiration? What’s your model for Viognier?” I quickly blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, almost on the defense, as if this series of questions was an attack. To be truthful, my response to this question really had no significance as to why Viognier has become something that I not only produce, but am passionate about solving.

When I say ‘solving’, I mean producing a wine that says to me, this is Viognier. This is true varietal character. How I have determined that varietal character never came from one wine in particular, rather a series of wines from several regions, produced by a handful of winemakers with different styles, that have yielded different variations.

To answer that series of questions more directly, I chose Viognier originally because I was intrigued with a handful of Viognier’s I had tried in the past. I began my quest in the Livermore Valley, where I produced wines that I felt lacked the natural acid in the variety to produce the lean, citrus and tropical flavors that I was seeking. I decided to source from the Arroyo Seco appellation because of its cool climate, and coastal pacific influence. I felt this was the appropriate region to achieve the Viognier flavors that I was after.

I felt the best way to achieve these flavors was to pick my Viognier with more focus on acid levels rather than sugar. Pick for flavors, not for sweetness. In an effort to produce Vioginer with an emphasis on varietal character, the wine was fermented in neutral barrel using several yeast strains in an effort to extract different flavors from the grape, thus creating a wine with layers and complexity. To hone in on true varietal expression, the wine was only in barrel for two months, though lees stirring continued in Stainless Steel for two more months in an effort to round off the bright, angular natural acid while maintaining crisp, refreshing citrus flavors. Combat the high malic levels with out introducing malo-lactic fermentation.

I started in search of the right climate for Viognier to thrive and produced bright natural acid. I created my own method; a combination of techniques used by several winemakers who produced wines with certain components that I wanted to achieve, but never quite the whole package.

My goal is to produce a Viognier that combines all of the positive components I have experienced in the varietal. In short, I am looking for aromatics of honeysuckles and nectarines. On the pallet, assorted stone and tropical fruits with bright citrus flavors and nice minerality complete this expression. Lean, mean and clean. The 2011 does not disappoint.

Our 2011 Viognier is being released on May 18^th at our “When in Rhone” event. We will also be releasing our 2010 Livermore Valley GSM we are calling ‘Awakening’, our 2010 Hayes Ranch Syrah, and our 2010 Casa De Vinas Petite Sirah. More information is available at our website.