2018 Santa Barbara County Viognier - Ampelos Cellars

Sticky passionfruit, fragrant honeysuckle, perfectly ripe apricot. Fresh guava puree, waxy lanolin, key lime pie filling. Plumeria and peach blossom, lush rain forest and coarse sand. Rich and aromatic fruit explodes with luscious intensity - not shy about gratuitously oozing mango, papaya, and canned pear without a hint of reservation or restraint. Perfumed florals and tropical vegetation underlie the ripe and oily fruit cocktail without ever making a dent in its dominance. Texturally rich, round, and opulent on the palate with a finish that is distinctly dry and mineral thanks to notes of crushed salt and interesting earthiness. Medium plus in body, barely medium in acidity, and intensely viscous; shining bright in color with a surprising lemon-green hue. This 2018 Santa Barbara County Viognier by Ampelos Cellars is a voluptuous, interesting, and delicious Rhone white.

While Chardonnay has firmly established itself as the predominant white grape of Santa Barbara County it is becoming clear that Viognier also has amazing potential in the region. This bottling, crafted by Ampelos Cellars using Viognier sourced from two different vineyards in Santa Barbara County, is an impressive example of what this grape can do in a cool to moderate climate. This wine is extremely expressive and flavor-packed yet contains a wonderful and unique back-end mineral edge. It is balanced and complex while expressing great typicity in the form of Viognier's telltale aromatic fruits and oily texture. Viognier is a grape we'd love to see more of all over California and Ampelos has done it great justice here.