Chardonnay came of age when I did, the 1980s. Oh what a time it was. Miami Vice was the top show. So popular that you could buy electric razors designed to just shave you down to the stubble of Don Johnson. There was Madonna and Springsteen's breakthru. Parachute pants and big hair.

California vintners matched that age with big, buttery chardonnay's aged in oak barrels. Some times they were so oaky that we joked that the wine would leave splinters in your toungue. But we loved them. Buttery and rich, they paired, or at least held up to most foods, even red meat. And they were trendy.

California Chardonnay has settled into a very rich middle age. It is, perhaps, the most consistently good white wine in the world. Numerous vinyards produce reliably good wine year after year. But, let's not get to complacent. What white wine alternatives are out there to keep things interesting?

I don't much care for Sauvignon blanc. To me it's bland and unmemorable.
Pinot grigio, can be good. But, I've poured a few bottles into the sink that were just awful.

But, don't despair. To get out of your chardonnnay rut, try this:

Viognier

Viognier has recently increased in popularity among consumers. Most known as the principle white grape variety in the northern Rhône, Viognier is capable of producing extraordinary wines with peachy aromas. On the palate, there are dry, luscious flavors of tree fruit, nuttiness and undertones of spice. At its best, it is lush and rich with amazing complexity and a wonderful alternative to Chardonnay. Exceptional Viognier is also produced in Washington State and in the southern Rhône. Food: Regions:

Aromas
Floral, Peach, Apricots, Apple

Flavors
Peach, Apricot, Apple, Nutty

Styles
Dry and medium-bodied with loads of fruit flavors

Food
White meats, freshwater fish and mild cheese

Regions

France – Northern Rhône – Condrieu
Southern Rhône – Côtes du Rhône, Costières de Nîmes
Washington State – Yakima and Columbia Valley
California – Santa Barbara, Monterey

Viognier was close to extinction as a grape variety with fewer than 100 acres, all planted in the shrinking appellation of Condrieu. Viognier has now staged a dramatic comeback thanks to the Rhône Rangers of California, who through extensive research have discovered certain areas of California where popular Rhône varietals would flourish, including Viognier. This trend boomeranged back to France were thousands of acres of Viognier are now being planted in the south, where it has proven to be very successful.

Viognier is a close cousin to Gewürztraminer, and like the spicy grape, is very aromatic, though rarely as rich in body. Inexpensive Viognier offers soft fruit flavors and a nice alluring bouquet. The higher tier, such as the Viognier produced in Condrieu offers unbelievable richness, density and complexity with powerful fruit flavors. One thing is certain, all Viognier is best when consumed young; most are not ageworthy.





By the 1960's, Viognier plantings had diminished dramatically, down to an estimated 15 acres in Condrieu and little more elsewhere in the Rhone Valley. But with the growth of interest in varietal wines in the late 1980's, the grape was brought to California, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. There are now nearly 3000 acres of Viognier in California alone, making it by far the most planted white Rhone varietal.

American growers, led by pioneers such as John Alban, Josh Jensen of Calera, and Joseph Phelps, brought Viognier into the United States in small quantities in the late 1980s. Almost simultaneously, other American growers brought over what they thought were Roussanne cuttings from the Rhône Valley, which were then propagated and planted in vineyards around California. Years later, in 1998, those vines were identified as Viognier, not Roussanne – a discovery which added a new Viognier clone for California producers to work with. We contributed two new clones, imported from Château de Beaucastel.

Viognier is a reasonably difficult grape to grow, as it is somewhat more prone to disease than other varietals and can be unpredictable in its yield. It is, however, reasonably drought resistant, enabling it to thrive in the dry Paso Robles summer climate. It flowers and ripens early, and is usually the first varietal harvested in very early September. Because Viognier flowers so early in the season, it is susceptible to spring frosts, most notably in 2011 when its production was decimated.  We have installed frost-protection fans in our largest Viognier block, which help most years.
 
The vines have medium-sized leaves, with small clusters of small, deep yellow berries that produce straw-gold colored wines. On the roughly six acres we have in production, we've averaged just over 16 tons in production since 2006, about 2.8 tons per acre.  Viognier makes up roughly 15% of our white Rhône production.
 
Typically Viognier is fermented to emphasize its freshness rather than its richness. It naturally ripens with relatively high sugars and low acidity. It is usually fermented in stainless steel, and blended it with lots that have good minerality, bright acidity and low alcohol.