Viognier is an elegant choice for the holidays.  It’s larger body, floral character, fruit forward tendency belies the fact that viognier isn’t a very sweet wine, but rather, bone dry.  Viognier has had something of a boom bust history though.  Going nearly extinct outside of it’s native France in the 60s, viognier rebounded in the 90s, especially in California.  As a result of being frequently over oaked and lacking the acidity that the most famous region Condrieu is known for, viognier began to decline again.  While it’s not impossible to find, Viognier seems more prevalent as a blending grape now, than a stand alone.  This is a shame, since for those that like chardonnay or bone dry gewürztraminer, viognier can offer a truly elegant experience.

The Other Guys in California would like you to know that The White Knight Viognier 2014 is here to save the world from the overabundance of chardonnay.  Can it also save your Thanksgiving?

Sight:  A deep gold from end to end.

Smell:  Deeply musky and floral off the bat, it levels off, mixing with peaches, pears, and cantaloupe.    The musk is very entrenched, but the fruit and flowers balance to an extent.  A element of spicing is present as well.

Sip:  It starts immediately heavy, almost massively so, a with just a touch of sweetness, and the brightness becomes quickly muted by a lanolin like texture.  The flavors pick up quickly, bringing in orange blossom, musk, pear, and peach.  There’s a hint of citrus, and the floral elements grow throughout.  Hints of the musk lean into spice, and almost seem smokey thanks to the use of French oak.

Savor:  The ending maintains the same heavy, oily, smooth texture, and build on lemon pith, pear skin, honeysuckle, and unsweetened orange blossom tea.

The White Knight Viognier is one of the most interestingly musky, and texturally complex viogniers at the $10 price point I’ve seen.  While it’s billed as fruit forward, the fruit is definitely secondary to the musk, but complements well.  The floral elements give an element of elegance to the unbelievable smooth body of the wine.  The White Knight Viognier is a fun choice for those who want the body of a chardonnay, but with a lot of interesting floral, fruit, and musky character.  For Thanksgiving, this is a great elegant and bigger structured white to try.

Verdict:  Smooth, Musky, Orange Blossom, Pear, Peach
Price: $10
Clarksburg, California, AVA
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