Viognier

The Verstrameter is a spicy white that can go with so many different types of meals.

Riesling, of course, Simeon, and Viognier will also go with so many different meals.

White wines like Alagote, the Greek Arecitico, or Italian Fiano, you can drink all summer long.

And as the weather gets hotter, I usually share bottles of Austrian Gruner Weltleiner.

And I love Grenache Blanc.

The Grenache Blancs that I've had, it's like Viognier, maybe not as rich, full-bodied as Viognier.

More like a Sauvignon, more like a Sau Blanc than a Viognier, but has some of those Viognier characteristics and it can come out just really tart, acidic, refreshing, but have a tropical taste to it.

So, yeah.

There was a vineyard in Napa I was reading about.

When you were mentioning the white, do people do white blends? Yes.

Yes.

Yeah, we could do a Rhone white blend, which would be Garnache Blanc, Marsan, Roussan, Viognier, Pickpool Blanc.

They didn't even have, so Roger de Gorn, who's a master sommelier, was sommelier there, but there was no sommelier on the floor at lunch.

So someone would just say, oh, what white wine would you recommend with the sea bass? And, you know, but you're just looking at it like, I literally don't know what Viognier is.

Like, I don't

know what to say.

Gewurztraminer is a spicy white that can go with so many different types of meals.

Riesling, of course, Simeon, and Viognier will also go with so many different meals.

White wines like Alagote, the Greek Aristico, or Italian Fiano, you can drink all summer long.

And as the weather gets hotter, I usually share bottles of Austrian Gruner Veltliner, Marseille from southern France, Muscadet, Palomino, Pinot Blanc, of course, and Roussaint.

Which doesn't sound like southwest, but there's quite a few.

Um, yeah, and then a few whites like Mosac, uh, and a little bit of Chardonnay and Viognier as well.

So-

Oh, beaut- oh, f- I have to say-

Lots of things.

[laughs]

Um, Gamay and Viognier are some of my absolute favorites.

Um, love, love them all, and Cab Franc, of course.

Yeah, Bart, out of the 600, 500 acres I planted on that vineyard, 351 were Cabernet Sauvignon.

So, um, I know that I've tasted w- uh, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, um-

Syrah

...

Um, and like a doctor without an MBA, I was in-

[laughs]

I was intrigued by all the wonderful varietals I planted, so that's, you probably know I, we've made a Syrah and a Tempranillo blend and couple of Cabs and Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc.

So I've had a lot of fun with it.

We've got pretty much everything is a month ahead of where it typically is.

We picked Viognier.

That's all done.

We're picking Primitivo this week.

The Viognier I wanted to share because...

Just a couple notes that I made four different lots of Viognier.

I made Viognier from Steinbeck's vineyard, Ducey's vineyard, and then two from our vineyard.

Our vineyard, one of the blocks, was 29 1⁄2 bricks.

So I want to know, Nicole, because just to give a little bit of insight into both of yours, who you are, and Xavier, we'll get more into your history.

But Nicole, you also have a Viognier that you make.

Yes.

And the Viognier, as we know, is kind of a finicky grape, right? It can get flabby if not enough acidity, and it can be very vibrant.

It can be wonderful, one of the most ethereal white wines.

However, it can be very shy if not done properly.

Does this remind you of anybody's personality?

Thanks.

It's cider, but, like, it doesn't, it doesn't smell like apple, if that makes any sense.

'Cause it could really fucking be, like, a Roussanne, Grenache, maybe some Viognier-

Would that be your-

... from the Languedoc