The Lake County area of California is becoming one of the premier wine grape-growing districts in the state.
One of the major movers and shakers is Shannon Ridge, a winery that produces not only the old standbys of the wine industry, but some of the new and upcoming varieties. Two of the newer varieties - at least to the USA - are the viognier and the roussanne.
We have often been asked what our favorite wines are. In reality, as wine columnists, we cannot have a favorite and still be objective in our analysis. We do have wines that we enjoy more than others, and one of them is wine made from the viognier grape.
At one time, viognier was in the world’s rarest and most expensive white wines. Until several years ago, the viognier grape was an endangered species. In its native land of France, less than 35 acres of the shy-growing, mildew-sensitive variety were under cultivation. Not only was the growing area minuscule, but the ground the vines were grown on was so poor that its yield of grapes was very small. The wine they did produced, called condrieu, was nothing less than ethereal.
While the grape is difficult to grow in France, it has found a new home in California, where modern farming techniques, friendly soil and near-perfect growing conditions have lead to resurgence in plantings and the production of outstanding wines from this sometimes temperamental grape.
Shannon Ridge 2009 Viognier ($24)Viognier is one of those varieties that is hardly known by the general public, but is a favorite of wine aficionados and was once prized more than the finest chardonnay.
Although the haunting, expansive, room-filling aroma of carambola (starfruit), peaches and tropical fruits give the impression of being sweet, the Shannon Ridge 2009 Viognier is totally dry.
The flavor is as fruity as the aroma, but more subdued, accenting the flavors of apricots and peaches with a hint of vanilla and a touch of oak. The aftertaste, or finish, returns the floral sensation, which is incredibly long for a white wine.
This is one of those wines that will go with almost any food that calls for a white wine and even some that don’t. It is a real treat and can easily become a replacement for your usual white wine favorite.
Shannon Ridge 2009 Roussanne ($24.99) As a wine grape variety, roussanne has never achieved the fame that it so richly deserves.
The variety had spent most of its history as one of the many components of the very popular Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhone River region of southeastern France.
Shannon Ridge vintners, on the lookout for new grape varieties to work with after the success of viognier, turned to the somewhat similar roussanne and hit another home run.
It has been a very long time since we last sampled a wine made from roussanne grapes.
The Shannon Ridge 2009 Roussanne is an interesting journey - a wine of a slightly different turn than the usual fare and an escape from the boredom of the old standbys.
The color is light golden, which is the least impressive feature of this wine; from there it goes straight to superlatives. The aroma is big, open and very obvious in displaying tropical fruit, lychee and, of all things, cola. Tropical fruits dominate the flavor and continue on to an incredibly long and, for a white wine, super fruity finish.
The success or failure of these varieties is, of course, in the hands of the public, which is often resistant to change. Our suggestion is to expand your wine horizons, as there may be gold just on the other side of the hill. If you have been a little timid about departing from the usual suspects, try the Shannon Ridge roussanne or viognier. We assure you, you will be amazed.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.[[In-content Ad]]
