Brought over by a friend, the 2009 Syncline Viognier from the Horse Heaven Hills' Coyote Canyon vineyard is a particularly successful new world viognier, if rather chardonnay-like. Sunny white and yellow fruit with good acidity and underlying minerality and missing (thank god) that dead old lady perfume that makes many of them so cloying. Classy.
We had a bottle of 2008 David Bruce Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands area of California the day before. Purchased for $13 locally last week, the wine has concentrated notes of green apple, pear and candied lemon peel on a sturdy frame that presents like a $30 wine. Or what used to be a $30 wine. Great value if you like the style.