Viognier Wine

Viognier is an impressive grape to be sure. At home in the sunny environs of the Rhone Valley of France, Viognier can easily play for the title of making some of the world's richest and most powerful white wines. There is nothing shy about Viognier, and what this grape sometimes lacks in acid backbone it can more than make up for in heady floral aromas, intense peach and orange citrus fruit tones, an unparalleled viscosity on the palate, and a very friendly relationship with toasty French oak treatment.

The Northern Rhone district of Condrieu is the pinnacle of Viognier production, and it is only here where intense sun meets cool evenings and south facing slopes of granite and sandy mica that anyone even discusses the idea of aging Viognier beyond a 3-5year window. But really (just between you and me) Viognier is a wine to be enjoyed in its heady and wanton exuberance of youth. Viognier is grown all over southern France appearing at times as a single varietal headliner and, often as not, as a throaty member of an ensemble cast assembled in the hopes of striking gold with equal parts power and elegance.

Its impressive profile and youthful appeal have also made Viognier a viticultural hit in sun drenched regions from California, and Washington State to Australia and even parts of Spain. It's easy to see why. Who among us doesn't love a show pony, especially one which offers the world's perfect answer to "what should I drink tonight with this beautiful fresh asparagus I just bought"?