I recently had this wine, which spontaneously appeared a local wine event. I never tasted wines from The Winery at Wilcox, a winery here in PA. However, I was very impressed with their 2009 Viognier (said vee-own-yay). Viognier is one of my favorite white wine varieties. It's a Vitis vinifera (European) grape variety that has gained some popularity in the past 5 years. Actually, it has been named the state grape of Virginia just a few weeks ago!
Viognier Grapes
(Photo from Google Images)
Viognier is a great white wine with a nice crisp acidity. If it's left to ripen too long, the heaviness of the wine can be overbearing. I prefer this variety as a wine that you can slowly sip on a hot summer day while your melting in the sun wishing for a constant mist of water to start hitting you.
This grape is also the white wine of choice that can be blended with Syrah in the traditional Rhone style. This is the style of one of my favorite Californian value wines: Arabesque, which was featured in a January blog post. But without further ado:
(Photo from Google Images)
2009 Viognier by The Winery at Wilcox
The D-2010 Scale
2009 Viognier by The Winery at Wilcox (Pennsylvania)
Appearance (10 points possible): light straw yellow color, clear - 10 points
Aroma/Bouquet (20 points possible): Canned pineapple up front with nuances of honeysuckle, green apples, and slight yeast/sur lie character. - 17 points
Taste (10 points possible): A nice smooth, tropical, pineapple-flavored entry. Crisp acidity, but not over powering; nice and complementary to the tropical flavors. A slight sweetness hits the palate near the finish of the wine with soothing honeysuckle flavors. The finish is slightly astringent with lingering citrus flavors. - 8 points
Balance (5 points possible): Nothing sticks out in this wine as being out of place, so I believe it's a nice, balanced white wine. - 5 points
Finish (5 points possible): Slight touch of astringency with lingering citrus flavors. A good wine to pair with foods. - 4 points
Packaging
Quality of Package (5 points possible): Heavy, structural glass. A black label with gold trim. Attractive for a European variety. - 5 points
Label Marketability (10 points possible): I like the label, but the black probably won't stick out in a wine store with a lot of bottles. However very traditional and attractive. I like the split labels as well. It gives a different look compared to a single label on the front of the bottle. - 6 points
Other (5 points possible): Nice, traditional package. No added extras. - 5 points
Total Points: 90 points
Overall Thought: This was a great Viognier! The best part: all the grapes were sourced from Pennsylvania. I love to see the potential in what eastern wine regions are producing these day. Definitely something to try and enjoy!
Food Pairings: The great crisp acidity makes it wonderful for food pairing. The pineapple flavors with yeast characteristics. This stainless steal ferment is perfect for a summer salad, fish dinners, light pasta salads.
Cost: ????? This wine was actually purchased by someone else, and I forgot to ask the price
Splurge Factor (out of 4): Probably a 2 - but again, if you love whites, I highly recommend this Viognier.
Where to buy: The Winery at Wilcox has several distribution sites. You can also purchase this wine through their website.
(Photo from Google Images)
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