Query

Elaine and I shared a bottle of wine this evening, Honey Moon 2005 Viognier, California, 13.5%, vinted and bottled by Trader MoonWine Co., Manteca, CA. Synthetic cork, foam center wrapped with some kind of plastic, Nomacork maybe? Received as a gift. Not mentioned on the bottle but finished semi-dry, probably about 2% RS, judging entirely by taste.

I don't buy Viognier as a rule, having been underwhelmed by the real thing a few years ago in Condrieu. This one tasted more like Muscat to me than any Viognier I've ever tasted, right down to the slightly bitter finish.

Anyone tried this one yet? Comment?

[Robin Garr]

Anyone tried this one yet? Comment?

Alan, I haven't tried it, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm thinking that the Muscat character is so intense and so strong that even just a splash of it in a blend is likely to communicate itself strongly in the finished wine. Given that varietal labeling needs only 75 percent, it's entirely possible that the Honey Moon folks might have blended in enough Muscat to show, even if the label doesn't mention it.

Second possibility is that both Viognier and Muscat (also Albariño) can show a peachy character in my opinion, and maybe that's the source of the crossover. I agree with you, though, I wouldn't normally expect a Viognier to smell anything like a Muscat.

Oh, as a footnote, I once tasted a special wine that's made as a symbolic gesture and fund-raiser for a non-profit organization in Cividale, Friuli. It contains tiny portions of 500 (yes, Five Hundred) different varieties.

What does it smell like? Muscat.

That's what I find at the heart of the similarity between Muscat as an aromatic vinifera and most labrusca varieties: it only takes a little for the nose to become dominated by the grape's aromatic signature.

Of course, since even just a little bit can take over the nose of such a blend, I'm a believer in the "might as well go for it all" theory and hence I enjoy the pure single-varietal wines for all their piercing aromatic glory.

[Robin Garr]

I enjoy the pure single-varietal wines for all their piercing aromatic glory.

Paul, you can get a similar effect by embracing a polecat.

Paul, you can get a similar effect by embracing a polecat.

Well sure, except that I'll take jasmine and musk any day over skunk.

Alan -

I'm guessing that with the wine having been bottled in Manteca and carrying the "California" appellation, it was made from grapes in the middle part of the Central Valley. Given the heat they get, I'm not sure what one could expect from viognier. That muscat flavor could be baked, overripe viognier that didn't ferment dry??? (Or as others have said, maybe they did throw some muscat in for good measure.)


Mike