2017 Estate Viognier - Rideau Vineyard

Green mango, crushed rocks, lemon curd. Baked golden apple, bright honeysuckle, ripe persimmon. Banana leaf and water lily, beeswax and wild honey. Passionfruit, papaya, and grilled peach lead an energetic fruit-laden attack, clearly quite lush and expressive yet writhing with impressive tension and verve. Cold stones wash in bringing striking minerality that nearly matches the vitality of the broad and unctuous fruit. Pronounced aromatic intensity is further bolstered by tropical flowers dusted with vanilla, nutmeg, and a medley of baking spices. Full bodied and slightly oily in texture with medium acidity and noticeable phenolics. Thoroughly dry and quite earthy on the palate. This 2017 Estate Viognier by Rideau Vineyard is an intense and impressive Rhone white from Santa Barbara County.

Located squarely in the center of Santa Barbara County, the Los Olivos District is a warm climate appellation where a wide range of grape varieties have proven to thrive. This bottling, crafted by Rideau Vineyard using Viognier sourced from their estate in the Los Olivos District, is an impressive example of the capabilities of this unique region. While certainly bright, ripe, and fruit driven this wine maintains remarkable focus and tension, and its underlying minerality is a significant differentiating feature. Texturally this wine balances Viognier's textbook oiliness with subtle phenolic grip which makes for an extremely enjoyable drinking experience. Rideau consistently produces some our favorite Rhone whites in all of California and this bottle is up there with their best.