Smoking Loon, Viognier, 2005, California, $11.99
Opening with a beautiful display of fruit, including peaches and papaya, this particular Viognier is on the heavier side of being medium bodied, and is a lovely shade of gold. Oh, just in case you were wondering its pronounced vee-on-yay. There are subtle hints of rosemary and honeysuckle on the noes, and it has a most interesting mouth feel. Its creamy and round, but has a certain mineralistic quality to it, slate-y if you will. This, combined with its ample acidity, does a fine job at cutting through the otherwise “sweet” fruit flavors. It would be a sure fire home run with me, except for its lack of spice. None the less, its very tasty, and, due to its lengthy lemon grass finish, would lend itself well to such foods as a pear and walnut salad, topped with super creamy Gorgonzola, in a lite balsamic vinaigrette, or anything that plays with creamy texture and sweet but tart flavors.
Tags: california, under $20, viognier, white