Porter Creek Hayley Marie Vineyard Viognier 2020
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
In the spirit of its northern Rhone counterparts in Condrieu, this wine possesses a weight and richness, yet restraint rarely found in New World Viognier. Subtle nuances of mango, pear and nectar. Balanced, round and capable of aging. While we have been making Viognier nearly 20 years this bottling is our first estate bottled, single vineyard Viognier, planted using cuttings from our historic source, Timbervine Ranch.
Other Vintages
2019-
Wong
Wilfred
Full-figured and charmingly floral, Viognier is one of the most important white grapes of the northern Rhône where it is used both to produce single varietal wines and as an important blending grape. Look for great New World examples from California, Oregon, Washington and cooler parts of Australia. Somm Secret—Viognier plays a surprisingly important role in the red wines of Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône. About 5% Viognier is typically co-fermented with the Syrah in order to stabilize the color, and as an added benefit, add a subtle perfume.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.