Celebrating International Viognier Day: Discovering BC’s Aromatic Gem
Photo credit: Wines of British Columbia
Most of the time when we’re talking about white wine varieties in BC, these are ‘cool-climate’ grapes like Chardonnay, Riesling, etc. that thrive at our northern latitude. Today we are featuring a white wine grape that loves the heat!
Viognier (Vee-own-yay) is native to France’s Rhône valley and is loved for its floral aromas and luscious texture. There it can be co-fermented with Syrah in some appellations, is often blended with Marsanne and Roussanne in Rhône whites, and for one appellation in particular - Condrieu - the wines are 100% Viognier. Being low-yielding and notoriously difficult to cultivate, it nearly disappeared from the planet in the 1980’s. Fortunately, Viognier experienced a major resurgence in places like California, Australia, and South Africa.
The wine has caught on in BC, and despite still being an overlooked variety, it does enjoy a modest following. As of 2022 we have 235 acres planted, sitting comfortably in 7th place for white grapes. It’s in our more southern (and warmer) regions where you’ll find Viognier thriving. I will always remember one of the wines that blew my mind years ago and encouraged a burgeoning passion. It was the Cedar Creek Platinum Viognier, sourced from the Haynes Creek Vineyard close to the border in Osoyoos. Oliver and Osoyoos are kind of a Goldilocks zone for Viognier, where it’s just right. Hot enough to ripen, but the heat is not so intense or prolonged to over-ripen the fruit and make oily, neutral wine. Having said that, there is excellent BC Viognier coming from other regions like Okanagan Falls and the Naramata Bench.
Just like the more popular and recognizable Chardonnay, Viognier is often made in two different styles. The first is fresh, fruity, and unoaked - fantastic during spring and summer, and patio-food friendly. The second style is even softer, silky, and may see some barrel aging for added richness. Viognier is my go-to Chardonnay alternative for holiday meals featuring poultry. Scallops are also a classic pairing with either style.
Its characteristic fragrance (perfumey and fruity) develops late in the growing season, meaning the fruit must hang on the vine long enough to achieve it. The conundrum there is that acidity continues to drop while sugars rise - leaving a flabby, unexciting wine with high alcohol. It takes an experienced and skilled winemaker to produce a Viognier that has beautiful aromatics, inviting texture, and a clean dry finish.
For these reasons, Viognier is often added to white blends, contributing floral aromatics and more body. The featured wines below fall into the categories depicted by the black triangles in the figure above. Fruity and fresh, vs rich and savoury. Samples were kindly provided by the wineries and tasted blind.
Featured Wines
Lake Breeze Vineyards 2022 Rousanne Viognier
60% Rousanne and 40% Viognier make up this Rhône style blend, which are increasingly fashionable in BC and beyond. This is a serious wine with Old World flair. It opens with Naramata confidence, intensely expressive of toasty spice, grilled peach, dried apricot, hay, and a flinty, stony bite. The palate is richly textured, with a long finish of citrus rind and toasted almond. Consumers looking for a lusciously fruity, floral affair, adequately prompted, will understand that this is on a whole different level. A wine of impact.
Intersection Estate Winery 2022 Viognier
From a cooler section of their Golden Mile Slopes estate, this is 100% Viognier, destemmed and crushed for improved skin contact. Fermentation is in a combination of steel (60%) and oak (40%), with neutral barriques and 1 new puncheon being used. The wine is aged on lees for 8 months with frequent bâttonage. The stylistic approach has minimized the florals and overt fruitiness, emphasizing Okanagan savouriness. Soft aromas of roast lemon and spices, banana, and citrus peel layer the nose. There is bright acidity on the palate, offering excellent balance of freshness and richness, fading into a baked apple and fennel finish. Vintage and site are transparent - signs of a very special wine.
Roche Wines 2022 Viognier Marsanne
Belonging to their Rhône-inspired collection of wines, this is a blend of 89% Viognier and 11% Marsanne, whole-cluster pressed. After a long, cool fermentation in French oak (10% new, 30% second-fill, 60% neutral), the wine rests on lees for 6 months with periodic bâttonage. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The nose presents a savoury, satisfying integration of lemon, spiced apple butter, popcorn, pine nuts, and mandarin peel. Saline and textural, the palate is supple and balanced, waves of flavour lapping on the shore, and finishing on charred lemon. With restrained power, this is high-level Viognier with a signature Naramata ripeness.
Hester Creek 2024 Viognier
For the 2024 vintage, Hester Creek sourced fruit from Washington State due to the freeze damage sustained by most Okanagan wineries. The grapes for this 100% Viognier are hand harvested in the Goose Gap AVA and trucked to Hester Creek for sorting. After fermentation in steel tanks, the wine is aged 5 months. This is the tropical, floral style most consumers might know of Viognier. Full of juicy peach, apricot, mandarin, kiwi, orange blossom, and honeysuckle - it is a warm weather companion for sure. Equally fruity, the palate is round and dry, and finishes with ripe honeydew melon. Slips down easy enough on its own, but could be fun with pakoras or falafel.
Final Thoughts
These wines should change your mind if you’ve thought Viognier can’t be exceptional. I am pleased that this beautiful, unique wine has found a place in the diverse tapestry of British Columbia wine. A little like Chardonnay, a little like Gewürztraminer, but distinctly itself, I expect Viognier to remain a minor but enduring component of our wine scene. The next time you visit a winery tasting room in BC, don’t skip the Viognier!
Blog post written by: Matt Tinney, Contributor, uncorkBC