WTN: Viognier de Rosine 2004, Collines de Rhodaniennes, Ogier

I quite liked this wine. It managed to highlight the best elements of Viognier, and avoid the worst.

Lovely nose, with good floral and fruit characters mingling, and avoiding the over-the-top cheap perfume that some Viognier can show. Plump in the body, and the aromatics follow into the taste, rounding out with a little honey; good to find a V. that doesn't fade and flatten in the middle. Discernible acidity in the middle and especially the finish, managing to give the wine some backbone yet avoid the bitterness at the the finish that less attentive winemaking can bring. Kudos to Michel and Stephane. Viognier is still not my favored variety, but this is a pretty darned good example of how to make a good one.

(Nice bottle too. Aesthetically appealing and suits the nature and style of the wine inside._ A Robert Kacher Selection. At $27 retail, I wouldn't buy too much of this. But I'll be happy to drink it when I'm over at Yaniger's house.)

That is a nice wine huh, I tried some at the domaine when Stephane was showing me his new "experiments", and I think we can look forward to a couple of bottlings of whites from these guys in the future, but I agree $27 is a bit steep.

Damned business aspect of wine sales.

I think it's more the profit aspect than the business aspect in opration here. First it says Robert Kacher Selection; the guy who bought the wine quipped "Putting Kacher on the label added about $10 to the retail right there!"

I do think the Ogier/Kacher team is playing to the celebrity status, and bumping the prices up to the point where you're paying more for the status than the wine. And there's certainly nothing new in that. It just puts me in the position of thinking there are better ways to spend $27; that's when the Rosine V. acheives the designation of OPW.