Viognier

Viognier’s origins are not clear, but the vine is thought to have been brought from Croatia to the Rhône Valley, along with Syrah cuttings, by the Roman Emperor Probus in 281 A.D. The supposition that Viognier is native to the Balkans is supported by the presence of a very similar vine, called the Vugava, which is grown on the island of Vis, off the Adriatic coast.

In any case, Viognier took root in the northern Rhône, principally in the area that is now Condrieu, and stayed there for nearly two millennia. Until the 1990s, the precious little Viognier that was produced in Condrieu, made famous by the tiny property of Château Grillet, was rare and expensive. Fortunately, by the middle of that decade, new interest in the variety expanded plantings into the Languedoc-Roussillon and to several new world viticultural areas. By no means extensive, most of the vine’s acreage is in southern France, followed at some distance by California.

Viognier is a difficult and extremely low-yielding vine which is prone to uneven ripening and coulure, or the failure of the flowers to develop into berries. It tolerates climates from warm to cool, though the fruit develops most character in one with wide seasonal variations in temperature.

It is best suited to light, infertile soils, such as those of the northern Rhône, which are composed of limestone and granite covered by sand and decomposed mica topsoil, called “arzelle.” Viognier ripens very late, with flavor developing only at the very peak of maturity, and there is a very narrow time window between this and the moment when acidity and aroma plummet. The fragile, thin-skinned fruit is high in extract, sugar and potential alcohol, highly aromatic, and low in acidity.

In the northern Rhône, in Côte Rôtie, A.O.C. regulations allow a little Viognier to be included in the Syrah-based red wine, but elsewhere the variety is usually unblended. It yields lush, seductive, exotically perfumed, golden wines with an intense bouquet of honeysuckle, ripe apricots, peaches and spice refreshed by a subtle touch of acidity. A light hand with oak contact can enhance structure. Also grown in Australia, Italy, Chile and South Africa.

Alternate Names: Vionnier