2008 Cline Cellars Viognier

California

Cline Cellars Viognier offers a fine reward for the white wine lover seeking to venture beyond Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. The Viognier grape varietal is most famous in Condrieu, in the northern Rhone of France, but California is producing some outstanding wines at a fraction of the price of Condrieu. In a recent Wall Street Journal column on American Viogniers, Cline Cellars was judged "Best value" and described as "elegant and peachy, with just the right amount of mouthfeel." We find this California Viognier is a true white wine gem!

Cline Cellars Viognier comes from grapes handpicked in three growing regions of California. Solano County fruit is blessed with plentiful sunshine to yield maximum flavors. Mendocino grapes contribute to the wine's fullness of body. Cline's Carneros vineyards were chosen for their long, cool growing season. The soil there is rich with minerals and rarely needs irrigation, and the vines are cooled by coastal breezes. Long hang-time results in superb concentration of fruit, with no oak to interfere with the natural beauty of Viognier.

Cline Cellars Viognier is deep yellow-gold in color with a gorgeous nose of peaches, apricots, orange blossoms and honeysuckle. It is full-bodied with a rich mouthfeel and flavors of peach, apricot and mango. Well balanced to enjoy over the next 3-5 years, the wine is long and rich on the finish.

Enjoy Cline Cellars Viognier as an aperitif wine and with grilled snapper with fruit salsa, fried oysters, stir-fry vegetables and spicy Thai dishes.