“Vee-on-what?”

All About Viognier
BY Jane Suzanne King

Although it is still a secret in many circles, the word about Viognier is beginning to get out. It seems to put a spell on those daring enough to give it a try because of its cultish availability, aphrodisiac nose and unusual flavor.

Viognier is one of the finest but rarest French white grapes. It is called the most sensual and voluptuous white wine grape in the world. It is believed to have originated about 2,000 years ago on the Dalmatian coast, and transported to the Rhone by Romans or Greeks. Still, less than 300 acres are now planted in the northern Rhone. There, Viognier makes the prestigious Rhone wines of Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet.

Viognier is the only grape allowed in Condrieu, and every bottle produced there is made from it. A small amount is also planted in the Cote-Rotie. Up to 20 percent can be blended with the Syrah grapes of the Cote-Rotie to add aroma to the nose and smooth out the Syrah’s rough edges.

After 2,000 years, Viognier nearly disappeared in the early 1970s and then was revived in the early 1990s when it began to gain popularity in California. It is no coincidence that this resurgence coincides with the powerful movement of a group of grape growers with a passion for Rhone wines. These “Rhone die-hards,” like John MacCready at Sierra Vista and Bill Easton of Domaine de la Terre Rouge, formed the Rhone Rangers in the early 1980s.

In 1992, Mat Garretson founded the Viognier Guild, which later became the Hospice du Rhone, a very popular Rhone-devoted festival in Paso Robles. Garretson is fondly known today as “Mr. Viognier.”

“Viognier is the reason I moved to California,” Garretson said. “Its smell was both alluring and intriguing, so I started a one-man campaign.”

More than 2,000 acres are planted in California today, as well as other states including Washington, Oregon and Virginia.

In California, many wine producers make a Viognier that is either lighter and less concentrated than the original French version, or produced extremely heavy and oaked like a Chardonnay.

“There is a double-edged sword with Viogniers today,” said Garretson. “It’s either not varietally correct or the winemaker is not passionate or knowledgeable about Viognier and tries to make it like a Chardonnay.”

Garretson goes on to describe two different styles of Viognier. The first is the “Dolly Parton-style” that is big and voluptuous, with lush, emollient, ripe flavors of apricot, peach and pear and is almost oily. This he also calls the California-style. The second is the Condrieu-style that has mineral qualities with violet, white pepper, and honeysuckle. This style is understated with less over-ripe fruit and is more varietally correct.

Viognier is best grown in warm climates and is not easy to produce, as it is extremely sensitive to changes in its surroundings. Its low acidity provides difficulty in making it flavorful, and it is highly susceptible to mildew and produces low yields. It is also generally high alcohol, rarely less than 13 percent.

Its appearance is generally golden, looking much like Chardonnay, its sister grape in terms of the quality and richness of flavor. Because of floral compounds called terpens that are also found in Muscat and Riesling, Viognier has hugely floral and aromatic tendencies, but is generally dry, meaning it has no residual sugar Flavors associated with Viognier include honeysuckle, peach, melon, lychee nuts, acacia, oranges, gardenia, apricot, butter, blossoms, oak, guava, spice, smoke, toast, vanilla and violet. Its mouth feel often comes across as creamy, “crème fraiche,” full, thick, rich and ethereal.

Because Viognier is fruity, it goes well with spicy, fruity dishes, such as fruit glazes, Thai foods with fruit or coconut, spicy crab cakes, Mexican dishes and Chinese take-out.

It is usually meant to be consumed young (although several examples can age for several years) because aging typically causes the fruity aromas to fade away. It should be served chilled, and great examples are available on all ends of the price spectrum.

Today, Viognier is also grown in Italy, Spain, Austria, Greece, Switzerland, Australia and Chile. Top-producing Viogniers (Condrieu) in France include Yves Cuilleron, Chapoutier and Georges Deboeuf. California’s best examples are from Qupe, Alban, Calera, Cold Heaven, Joseph Phelps, Garretson, St. Amant, Bonny Doon, and, in the Foothills, good examples come from Terre Rouge, Cedarville, Renwood and Dobra Zemlja.

While Viognier grows in popularity every year, and more and more vineyards are planted with it, Garretson said his biggest surprise came in the realization that it was not Viognier that drew people in to the Rhone wines, but Syrah. Instead, he said, Viognier is being used more predominantly for blending, especially with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

The Condrieu also makes amazing late-harvest dessert Viogniers that can’t be missed.