For the LOVE of Viognier                                                                        Saturday July 21st, 2018


Viognier is a grape varietal that many do not know, can't pronounce it, or one has an instant opinion of love or not. I love it in many cases but not all. This evening we explored the flavors of viognier from 5 regions and paired ours with 5 courses.

Our very first viognier from the 2017 harvest has turned many people on to this grape and changed others opinion about Viognier. A very clean, non floral, low mineral, stone fruit, neutral oak aged, balanced rendition we are very proud of from Russian River Valley.

We begin our discussion of Viognier with a tasting flight of five examples from the classic Condrieu, to Australian, Oregon, Southern Cal and our Sonoma County. Prices range from $15 - $72.

Commonly used descriptions – medium viscosity, highly perfumed bouquet, fresh pear, nectarine, honey, warm peach, honeysuckle and allspice scents, flavors of white stone fruits, clove, hazelnut, marzipan, white pepper, smoke and minerals, with a note of orange, Buttered citrus, honeysuckle, pineapple, and a kiss of saltiness

 

 

 

Now that we know what to expect from different regions and winemakers of viognier, we'll begin with our first course.....

..chilled carrot and orange soup. Another character that can be found in Viognier, orange zest.

Second course - Fresh peaches and Burrata. Pairing is mostly successful working on similarities or opposites. Peaches have a great flavor component that can often be smelt or tasted in Viognier. The Burrata mellows out the fruitiness and adds a creamy component.

 

 I love this Burrata...…

Third course - Scallops. Fennell dusted, seared and served with Fennell puree. Fennel is another flavor profile that can be found in Viognier. You're getting the theme, right?

Fourth course - sweet potato and chicken curry, mildly spicy. Love curry and our 2017 handles it perfectly. You get all the spicy, sweet flavors and the Viognier character is not lost.

Last course of our tasting, cheese. A duo of very different cheeses and a sweet treat surprise....a late harvest Viognier that will never be labeled or sold, sorry. Cheese accompanied by dried apricots, cashews and nightingale French baguette.

A great cheese with our Viognier. Good acid and texture, dense but creamy.




Late harvest Viognier, fermented on the skins. Beautiful balance of sweet with acidity and great fruit!

 

We loved the format of this dinner: doing the tasting flight and then the varietal focus food.

Next up, menu inspired by Charles Phan and the Slanted Door paired with Paul Mathew.

Happy eating & pairing