So ridiculously flowery and fruity you’d swear there was muscat in it. Pulling it at cellar-temp shows a dry chalky nose of newsprint and damp soil, the crushed bluster of weeds cruising in on almond-butter electric richness and light plum and blueberry. All these nuances grow incredibly with air–and shut down as I chill the wine slightly.
Tasting it though…. The delicacy of the variety comes forth with all the richness expected from great Viognier and here also the afore-mentioned thick flowery and fruity pop out. The blush of sweet peach and pear headed into firm tropical un-hinges the wine in delicious directions: bright and vibrant and elegantly-spiced even from its pale canary body. This is a wine making most chards out there taste like Monster and much of your sauv-blancs feel like kombucha. Beyond delicious. A stunning wine from this tiny producer in San Antonio Valley. GET TO KNOW MARIN.
2020 MARIN’S VINEYARD ‘Stockholder’s Reserve’ Viognier Monterey Co. CA 14.4
Stephen McConnell 