Value Viognier
Occasionally, I think good, cheap Viognier is something of a white whale. Then I stumble on something along the lines of Smoking Loon Viognier and believe again. Renwood has further bolstered my faith in cheap-n-good Vio'
The way I see it, most under ten-$ Viognier suffers from one of two (or both) maladies: nonexistent acidity or ultra high alcohol. Acidity-absent Viognier feels like somebody poured some kind of syrup on the tongue. Überalcoholic Viognier finishes off like a jar of mentholatum. Of course if you're unlucky enough to sip a double-fault V., you might as well gargle gin martinis with your chicken tikka.
Here's to Renwood's "Select Series" 2004 ($10) - cheap & cheerful. Aromatic nose, well-balanced, and pleasantly tasty.
A question to fellow wine blogger Maggie, of The Wine Offensive: Gotta cheap Viognier you might recommend?
Hey! I read your site thru bloglines and I saw my name...weird.
My favorite under $10 Viognier right now is the Jean Luc Colombo "La Violette." JLC is an extremely reliable Rhone producer, and the "La Violette" wines (they have a Syrah, too) are from the Languedoc. It's their way to experiment with value. Flowery aromas, not overly ripe, and plenty of acidity.
I'd also give the Yalumba Y series Viognier a try, though I haven't tasted the new vintage yet.
Posted by: maggie | 12 October 2005 at 08:45 PM
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for the tip. I've tried the Yalumba - quite good. The JLC sounds tasty - I'll keep my eyes open for it.
Cheers,
beau
Posted by: beau | 13 October 2005 at 08:38 PM
Try the Jewel Viognier.. totally delicious for $10
Posted by: AL | 16 October 2005 at 06:04 PM
Hi Al,
Can you tell me where Jewel Viognier hails from?
Posted by: beau | 17 October 2005 at 03:42 PM
AL gives us a bit more detail on the Jewel Viognier:
It is from California. No specific area. They buy their juice from
various
Lodi growers.
Here's their website : http://www.jewelwine.com/
Hope that helps..
AL
Posted by: beau | 19 October 2005 at 11:29 AM
Also try 2004 Montpellier Viognier. Doesn't suffer from either of the two issues you describe *and* it's less than $5 (or was, not sure if it's available anymore)
Posted by: Nick Atkins | 18 March 2006 at 12:03 PM
the montpellier is the same company as two buck chuck
Posted by: | 19 August 2006 at 12:14 PM