On the (wine) Road, part one
This weekend, thanks to a last minute invitation, I ventured up to the Wine Road barrel tasting in a minivan full of fellow oenophiles. While I’ve made many, many treks to Napa, I had yet to visit the vineyards of Sonoma County. And, for that oversight, I’m now kicking myself in the ass.
Fields full of vines standing sentinel against a backdrop of rolling meadows and forested hills, Sonoma reminds me so much more of the bountiful agricultural lands of the midwest than the flat, enclosed valley of Napa. And the smaller vineyards, some with their tasting rooms fashioned from old barns and tool sheds appealed more towards a sense of community and connection with the land than the haute and oftentimes garishly overdone mega-vineyards of the Napa Valley.
And in one of those tasting rooms née tool sheds at the Porter Creek Vineyards, I encountered a magnificent wine that totally subverted the conventions which typically make me less than enthusiastic about white wines.
Porter Creek Viognier Timbervine Ranch
It’s rare that I’m absolutely stunned by a white wine. I’ve found most viogniers to be lacking depth, a little bit too heavy on the citrus, and perhaps too acidic.
The 2007 Porter Creek Viogner has complexity, isn’t grapefruity, and isn’t acidic… but is still light and has a beautifully clean finish. It would pair beautifully with simply prepared chicken or the lighter game birds, or with a non-fishy fish: I’d love to try it paired with mahi/snapper and a mango salsa. Or I’d be happy to have a glass (or two) on its own. And as far as I could tell from the barrel tasting, the 2008 Viognier promises to follow the same path.
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