2008 Cass Vineyards Viognier				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$24	@ the Winery	4/5/09
	A pale, lemon-colored wine with a nose of honeysuckle, stone fruits, citrus and sweet spice that just leap from the glass. The palate is round and fruity with flavors of melon, peach, lemon cream, flowers and hints of vanilla and tropical fruits on the lingering finish. Despite its ripeness the wine has just the right amount of acidity to keep the flavors well-balanced and the mouthfeel properly crisp. The alcohol is more restrained (14.5%) than the previous vintage which saves this intense version from being over-the-top. A New World wine all the way. (Stainless steel fermented.)

2008 Image du Sud Viognier Vin de Pays Méditerranée				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Rhone Valley, France	$12	K&L Wines	1/30/10
	A pale, gold-colored wine with delicate aromas of stone fruit, citrus and flowers. The palate is light-bodied and delicate with just enough acidity to balance the ripe flavors of apricot, peach and lemon with notes of honeysuckle and mango on the crisp, moderate-length finish. At 12.5% abv it's definitely more restrained than most New World versions, making it a great aperitif or seafood/citrus salad wine. I wished it had a bit more depth and complexity, but it hit all the right varietal notes and is a steal, considering most Viogniers cost $20+. Would buy again.

2007 Bridlewood Winery Reserve Viognier				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara, CA	$24	Out at Dinner	12/10/09
	A medium, lemon-colored wine with strong aromatics of tropical and stone fruits with notes of citrus and flowers. The palate is light to medium-bodied with ripe flavors of peach, honey, melon and lemon with bright acidity and a refreshing finish. A well-crafted wine that shows what Viognier is all about without being heavy or too alcoholic, like some Central Coast versions. Wished it had a bit more depth and persistance of flavor, but was still enjoyable and actually delightful with our spicy food, which brought out the fruit and balanced the heat of the dishes. Have had this wine vintage after vintage over the past 7-8 years and it delivers a consistently pleasant experience. Always happy when I find it on a wine list.

2007 Cass Vineyards Viognier				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$24	@ the Winery	4/22/08
	A pale, lemon-colored wine with aromas of blossom, stone fruit, pear and vanilla. Unlike the 2006, this wine was barrel-fermented which has added a nice viscousity to the palate along with the peach, pear and tropical fruit flavors. The finish is filled with vanilla creme and a bit too much alcohol, which comes in at a whopping 15.5%. The touch of Roussanne gives it good acidity, but not enough to counter the oak influence. This wine was just released so I'm hoping a little time in the bottle will help it integrate more.

2007 Cline Cellars Viognier				*
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara, CA	$9	Cost Plus Imports	1/10/10
	A medium-lemon-colored wine with moderate aromas of citrus and stone fruit with hints of flowers, honey and sweet spice. The palate was medium-full-bodied and lush with ripe fruit flavors of apricots, lemon creme and melon with notes of pear and sweet spice on the finish. Pretty well-balanced for the price. Though it tasted like viognier should, there was nothing about the wine that made it memorable. A solid, everyday effort and a great starter wine for those interested in trying this varietal, since most versions are $20+. Popped and poured, it still has enough acidity to last another year or so.

2007 Edward Sellers Vineyards Viognier				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$28	@ the Winery	4/28/09
	A pale, lemon-colored wine with aromas of tropical and stone fruit, blossom and honey. The palate is light-bodied, yet creamy (due to barrel fermentation) with just the right touch of acidity to keep it refreshing. The flavors echo the nose with notes of ripe citrus, apricot and mango with stong hints of lemon and vanilla on the lingering finish. A classy, elegant wine made in a subtler style than many coming out of the Central Coast right now. Needs a bit more depth of flavor to be a 3-star wine (or worth the price tag), but still a lovely, well-balanced expression of the varietal.

2007 Shannon Ridge Vineyards Viognier				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Lake County, CA	$14	Bin Ends Wine	7/9/09
	A bright, pale lemon-colored wine with aromatics of stone and tropical fruits with a hint of flowers. The palate is light to medium bodied with crisp acidity and a round, creamy finish. The flavors are subtle for a CA viognier with peach, melon, pear and apple dominating. At 13.9% the alcohol was well-integrated, which allowed the fruit flavors and crispness to shine through. Barrel fermented with a stitch (5.3%) of Gewurztraminer for pop. A nice wine for the price, but nothing memorable. Ready to drink.

2007 Tres Hermanas Vineyard Viognier				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara, CA	$25	@ the Winery	2/12/09
	A pale lemon-colored wine with bright aromatics of tropical and stone fruits with hints of lemon and blossom. The palate is medium-bodied and round with flavors of peach, lemon and sweet spice dominating with barely there acidity and a pleasant finish. At 14.4% the alcohol was a bit too noticeable which is why I couldn't rate it higher. A touch more acidity would have helped bring the wine into better balance. Overall, a wine that shows what Viognier is all about. It also paired well with our Thai Red Curry Shrimp.

2006 Alban Vineyards Central Coast Viognier				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Central Coast, CA	$25	K&L Wines	12/27/07
	The nose reveals slightly sweet scents of honey, white peach, and clover. But on the palate, the wine is blissfully dry, yet full-bodied. Excellent balance, lightly crisp throughout, and a very long finish. Alban is why I love this varietal. I haven't been disappointed yet.

2006 Arroyo Robles Viognier, Mill Road Vineyard				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Paso Robles, CA	$25	@ the Winery	12/28/07
	Medium-bodied with with classic floral and stone fruits aromas that follow through with big ripe flavors and a touch of vanilla and minerals on the palate. More acidity and elegance would have earned this three stars. Good, but at this stage, a bit pricey for the quality.

2006 Cass Vineyards Viognier				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$24	@ the Winery	10/13/07
	Despite its' pale gold appearance this wine is packed with flavor. It has all the classic floral and stone fruit aromas and flavors, but serves them up with a crisp acidity that hits the perfect mixture of ripeness and elegance. It has a lovely finish of tropical fruit flavors that make you want to dive right back into the glass. They must be doing something right because this wine is already sold out.

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