2017 Applegate Valley Viognier - Awen Winecraft

Juicy passionfruit, bright honeysuckle, squeezed lemon. Ripe peach, cool lanolin, Bosc pear. Lemongrass and water reeds, orange blossom and acacia flower. Papaya and pineapple lead a booming and expressive attack brimming with mango and fruit loop decadence - remaining quite tense and restrained despite tremendous expansiveness. Oily beeswax provides a touch of pleasant roundness that is cordially overmatched by white jasmine and expressive florals. High-toned aromatics refuse to subside to any encroachment yet still manage to leave room for river stones and a gorgeous sense of underlying minerality. Full bodied but not broad, with light phenolic texture and impressive acidity. This 2017 Applegate Valley Viognier is a marvelous Rhone white from Southern Oregon.

The Applegate Valley appellation is a unique winegrowing zone located near the southernmost edge of Oregon state. It is well shielded from a harsh marine climate by the area's coastal mountains and actually experiences surprisingly warm and dry weather during the growing season. This bottling, crafted by Awen Winecraft using Viognier sourced from the Pearl Family Vineyards in Oregon's Applegate Valley, makes an extremely impressive case for the potential of this region. This wine is quite ripe and expansive yet tremendously balanced; possessing new world charm that is mitigated by surprising old world finesse. It is big and beautiful yet structured and stern with absolutely flawless typicity. This is an exceptional Rhone white from a region that is earning it's way into the world's radar.