by Jimmy Cocktail
17. June 2011 04:33
The Viognier grape is one that I am relatively familiar with because we work with it at the vineyard. It is known for being from the Condrieu region of the Rhone Valley of France, however, it is believed that the Romans brought the grape there and that it may have originated in Dalmatia. Regardless of its origins, it is a grape that due to its ability to bud even after a frost and its loose clusters that allow plenty of air circulation, has become a fixture in the Virginia wine industry. So much so that in May 2011 the Virginia Wine Board announced a plan “…to pursue a marketing plan that will include the designation of Viognier as Virginia’s signature grape for national branding purposes.” Clearly, the Viognier grape is coming of age in the state of Virginia.
However, today we are not talking about Virginia, but of Chile.
The Viognier grape was introduced to Chile at about the same time that Dennis Horton began experimenting with the grape here in Virginia. That would make it in the early 1990s. It is a grape that produces wine that when at its best holds great floral aromas with the flavors of pear and apricots along with a nice bit of acidity allowing the wine to age gracefully for several years. Depending on who you talk to, it is a grape that can benefit from oak aging although in certain circles that can bring conversations bordering on fisticuffs.
The Cono Sur winery is located in the Colchagua Valley in the Central Valley region of Chile. Here, they subscribe to the “no oak” version of Viognier, with it spending 3 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Since there is a delicate balance between acid and sugar levels that must be achieved with Viognier, these wines tend to be higher in alcohol with this one coming in at 13.9% ABV. However, it could have been even higher as the residual sugar is 0.6% making this an off-dry wine, something that is apparent on the palate. Even so, this is an excellent wine for pairing with spicy seafood dishes such as Pad Thai or a shrimp or crab boil. I give this wine 3.5 our of 5 wine glasses.
Tasting notes:
This is a clear, medium(+) intense lemon colored wine that fades at the edge. It has a clean, youthful nose with medium(+) intense aromas of pear and honeydew melon. It is an off-dry wine with medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol, no tannin and medium(+) body. It has medium(+) intense flavors of melon, pear and grapefruit with a medium(+) length finish. It is a good wine that is ready to drink but will improve in the bottle.
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