Maryhill Winery, Classic Viognier

I recently wrote about a visit I made to Maryhill Winery in Washington State and since then I’ve had the opportunity to taste yet another one of their wines — their Classic series viognier. And oh what a viognier it is.

For those not familiar with viognier, it is a white wine variety that tends to have strong aromatic characteristics, with apricot and floral aromas being fairly typical. The aromas are typically more intense than those from a chardonnay, and not as tropical as those from a sauvignon blanc. It’s usually produced as a medium-to-full bodied wine. It’s also a wine that typically goes well with spicy Asian food.

It can be a fairly finicky grape to grow. It does best in warmer climates, but not too hot, and with longer growing seasons. The conditions in the Columbia Valley region of Washington State were warmer than average in 2017 and the growing season longer than normal, making for an exceptional vintage for this wine. The grapes for this release came from four different vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA.

Maryhill is the largest Viognier producer in Washington, making between 6,000-8,000 cases annually. For this vintage, they produced just over 6,000 cases.

The nose of this wine is delightful, offering aromas such as apricot, melon, mango, pineapple and orange blossom. It’s quite delicious too, with flavors such as apricot, peach, mango, pineapple and a touch of honey toward the finish. It has a creamy, almost oily mouthfeel I would expect from a viognier. The acidity is nice and bright. The finish lingers on nearly endlessly. This is a fabulous wine.

If you’re a fan of viognier, you’ll want to try this one. And if you’re new to viognier, this one would be a great way to introduce yourself to the variety.

Wine: Maryhill Winery, Classic Viognier
Varieties: Viognier
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 92
Average price: $18.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.