Viognier
The key flavors of Viognier are peaches, apricot, nutmeg, and cream. This wine is high in alcohol, low in acidity, and rich in texture. It is best enjoyed young. It is full-bodied and often bittersweet. Viognier is grown primarily in the northern Rhône area of France (Condrieu), Languedoc-Roussillon in France, California, Australia, and America.
Viognier can go with soft blue cheese, Emmentaler, Colby, Edam, Feta, Gouda, and Monterey Jack. Condrieu can pair with Caerphilly, Double Gloucester, and Epoisses.
Alamosa Wine Cellars Viognier (Tasted in 2005, but I don't know what vintage.) About $15 13.2% alcohol. Extremely aromatic, dark, rich shade of yellow. It smells like Fruity at the beginning, then spicy, and then bitter. This is a very rich-tasting wine. The aftertaste is definitely bitter and something reminds me of cinnamon and dessert wines. Perfumy. There is something in this wine that reminds me of my grandmother's cooking, like an apple pie. The flavors and aromas last a long time and go back and forth from being fruity and bitter. Viognier is supposed to age well. I drove out to the winery, visited the tasting room, and saw the vineyard.
*Alamosa with Comté. Nutty, earthy, mild Gruyère type of cheese. Great together, though there is some bitterness on the finish. In some ways, this cheese stands up better to the Viognier, but it is not as smooth of a pairing. This cheese makes the wine taste more tart.
*Alamosa with Emmentaler. Sweet, nutty, mild Swiss cheese. Very nice together. These blend well. The sweet cheese tones down some of the bitterness of the cheese. Although the cheese comes off as being a lot lighter than the wine, they work out well together, probably because they both have long-lasting flavors. The spice in the wine is accentuated by this cheese. Jim and Karen, Alamosa vintners, said that their Viognier goes really well with Emmentaler.
Alamosa with Raclette. This is a Swiss cheese that is usually stinkier and stronger than others. This one is mild. It is salty, tangy, and woody. This blend is too bitter. I don't like the stinky aftertaste, but this is not so bad.
Condrieu Jewel Viognier 2002 $9. 13.5% alcohol. This wine is from the Southern Rhône area. It grows in a hot climate. It is herbaceous and floral. The grapes are thick-skinned with low acidity. There is some bitterness and Minerality.
Condrieu Jewel with Mimolette. It is ok with Mimolette, but might be better with a more aged Mimolette.
La Gauphine Viognier from the Pays d'Oc 2002. Tasted in 2004. $12.99 at Grapevine. 13% alcohol. It is made in the southern tip of the Saint Chinian wine region, which is located between Minervois and Faugères in the foothills of the Cévannes. This region usually makes full, dry red wines and rosés. This area receives abundant sunshine. Low yields. Great richness and depth. It has aromas of flowers, peaches and apricots. The palate is supposed to be succulent with a dry finish. It can go with seafood, fish, or poultry. I liked this wine a lot. What struck me first was the fruit and the acidity, though it is supposed to be low in acidity. It is a nice, light yellow color. It smells peachy and nutty. Yes, I can see where this might also be nutmeg. It has a very strong smell, even when very cold. I expected it to be kind of buttery and too heavy, but when it hit my tongue, it was nice and dry. It seemed pretty acidic, or at least compared to what I expected. It is a little bitter and I can really taste the alcohol. It burns a little bit. It is good, though. It is a full-bodied wine, thick, but with a bite. I liked its balance. This was interesting.
La Gauphine Viognier with Australian Blue Brie. This is a blue brie, but much more of a blue than a Brie. This is interesting together, but then kind of nasty. Yuck for the aftertaste. It is too bitter. I don't think I like the mold flavor (white or blue) with this burning alcohol and squishy fruit. This might be better with a regular blue, but I'm not so sure.
La Gauphine Viognier with Belle Chèvre from Alabama. This is kind of weird together, but not so bad. The wine overpowers the cheese, but somehow it works a little bit. It blends at first, the soft-tasting fruit and the tangy goat, but then it is a little weird. The bitterness of the wine comes out and the cheese disappears. I really don't like the textures together.
La Gauphine Viognier with young Manchego. This cheese is super mild with a lot of oily olive flavors. This wine has too much of a bite for this cheese. It is good at first since the wine has soft fruit and the cheese is so smooth-tasting, but just like with the goat cheese, the wine starts to overpower with its bite.
La Gauphine Viognier with Old Amsterdam Gouda. I like this ok together. Yum. Woo. Lots of crazy flavors that unfold. The cheese calms down some of the fruit in the wine. While I eat it, I taste one, and then the other. Sometimes the fruit comes out, and then the cream and nuts, and then the bit of the wine, and then something sweet. The entire ride is not pleasant, but it is interesting. I think I like the fullness of the wine with the long-lasting flavor of the cheese. The cheese is very distinctive, and so is the wine, so they hold up to each other.
Georges Duboeuf Viognier 2002 (Tasted in 2004) Vin de Pays de l'Ardèche. About $10 at Grapevine. White table wine. 13% alcohol. The label says that this wine shows off the typical fruit and floral flavors associated with Viognier. On the palate, it is tender, generous, supple and well-structured. This bottle looks like a tampon box or something -- pink flower, gold accents, and a pearly white label. This wine is made in the south of France in Provence. http://www.duboeuf.com
Viognier, Casa de la Ermita 2004 (Tasted in 2006) $15.99 at Wiggy's. 13% alcohol. Imported by Langdon Shiverick. Casa de la Ermita is located at the base of the mountain known as "El Carche," in the heart of Jumilla. The soil is chalky with large deposits of sand and gravel, which promot good drainage for the vines. The harsh climate with scant rainfall and a long, dry growing season give low yields and ripe fruit. The wine is a light gold color and has hints of white peaches, apricots, figs, melons, and honeysuckle. Some citrus in the finish with an intense nuttiness that really sets it apart from others. What is interesting about this wine is that it has all the Viognier flavors, but is more restrained. It manages to keep up a dry appearance and doesn't overwhelm with crazy fruit like some of its American counterparts. It is a wonderful, full Viognier -- perfect for the seasoned Viognier drinker, but possibly not for the person looking for the usual big oily fruit bomb.
Casa de la Ermita with Azeitao. Awful. I can't remember exactly why they didn't work, but I really don't want to try it again to find out. It was just plain bad. I thought the nuttiness and weird floral flavors in the wine and cheese would blend, but no, they hated each other.
*Casa de la Ermita with Ossau-Iraty. Pyrenees sheep's milk cheese. Very creamy-tasting, nutty, tangy, almost olivey, but extra oily and rich and soft kind of cheese. Put it with the flowers in the wine and the wine's un-overwhelming demeanor, and it's great for a European cheese. Both have a lot of character, but it's all kept in check. Some bitterness on the finish, but boy is this a great pairing. I am really excited about this. The mouthfeel and weight of both the wine and the cheese are perfect for each other, and then the nutty, outdoors flavors just blend together, but they are really mellow. Angelica at Whole Foods Gateway suggested this cheese when I described the wine to her. It's such an easy match. In spite of the perfect nutty blend, there is also the sweet sheep's milk and the rich fruit in the wine. And sometimes the sheep's cheeses from this area come out tasting fruity. I could go on and on about this pairing, but I'll stop here.
Viognier-Muscat by Maison Galhaud 2003 (Tasted in 2005) $9.99 at Central Market. It is 70% Viognier and 30% Muscat. "This beautiful summer wine produced at low yields has explosive aromatics typical of Muscat. Its fine concentration of tropical flavors come from Viognier that was hand harvested at optimum ripeness." It is a Vin de Pays Côtes Catalanes in Languedoc. This wine is good. I'm figuring I got it for so cheap since it is getting a little up in years, but it hasn't lost any fruit at all. It has a gorgeous light honey color, huge nose of melons and flowers, and then some effervescence and minerality on the palate. There is something that creeps up at the end like a mead flavor. This wine is really good. People who like Riesling will like this, though it tastes nothing like a Riesling.
*Viognier-Muscat with Capra honeyed goat cheese. This goat cheese is a huge hit at parties. Unfortunately, it runs about $22 lb. and people gobble it up fast, so you have to pick your friends carefully when you serve this. The honey in the cheese is absolutely delicious with this Muscat-Viognier. Where the wine was a little sweet and fruity for everyday drinking, when I put the sweet, tangy goat cheese with it, instead of getting even sweeter, the combo balanced itself out. Both wine and cheese have similar flavor profiles -- the wine is rich and tangy, and the cheese is pure honey and goat. A perfect match. What I especially like about the combo is that the wine is not too sweet and takes some of the honey flavor out of the cheese.
At Central Market, there was a sign suggesting a couple of blue cheeses for this wine, but it didn't work out. I lost my notes. The lighter honeyed goat was the best.