Pale gold in color. The nose has some meyer lemon's but is also very dusty and slightly hot. On the palate, this has a nice oily texture. A bit of a green streak but also some lemon notes. It has a distracting bitter quality that is very persistent. A shorter finish. Screw capped. The description makes this sound worse that it was, but this was a disappointing experience.
Honestly, I love Viognier from the Rhone Valley, but less so the full throttle Viogniers from California (usually with high alcohol). Despite that disclaimer, I really enjoyed this. Unique and different as it is. Golden in color with green swirls. The nose has green apples, slight floral notes and just a hint of peach. Nice acidity. Oily texture. Light to medium tannins. On the palate, the apples are present with a light minerality. Long finish. This drinks easy on its own and will work with some lighter foods. Drink over the next five to seven years.
I am a big fan of the Helen Keplinger wines. This one is 84% Petite Sirah, 13% Syrah, and 3% Viognier. It does need some cellaring or lots of air if serving now, but it is delicious. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, smoke, slight charred earth and black pepper. On the palate, this is a big wine, but has great delineation. Layers, tightly packed of blueberries, black raspberries and charred wood. Great energy. This probably needs about five to eight more years until peak and should drink beautifully for ten to twelve after that. I
This is a blend of 84% Petite Sirah, 13% Syrah and 3% Viognier from the home winery of star winemaker Helen Keplinger. Inky purple in color. The nose has boysenberries, graphite, asphalt and some cherries. With air some roasted meats come out. A wonderful lush texture. Firm tannins. This has lots of depth but is still young and tight. It is delicious though. Black raspberries, with underlying char on the palate.
This is an intriguing Viognier. Much of California Viognier comes off as alcoholic or hot and certainly lacks the floral lightness of many of the Rhone counterparts. This bottle strikes a middle round which is quite nice. Light golden in color. The nose has lots of grapefruit with a bit of a floral quality (white flowers?). Medium bodied. On the palate, this has a grapefruit juice quality but a bit livelier that say a Sauvignon Blanc. Not really showing any age at the moment, still, I would drink this sooner than later to enjoy the freshness. It will go well with all but the heavies
I wish I knew more about this wine. I loved it! Alban makes (not counting this), two different Viogniers. They make and estate Viognier and a Central Coast Viognier. Both are labeled as Viognier. This one is neither of those two. It carries the additional labelling as Sarments. The word means cutting or scion, so I assume these vines were propagated from other vines somewhere... Anyway, I like the Alban Estate Viognier but don't love it. I prefer Viognier more like a Condrieu which is a region making Viognier in the Rhone Valley in France. I would like to say the difference is in
