Incognito Viognier
The Viognier formerly known as Roussanne
Vintner's Poem:
"I once had a dream of peaches and cream,
But wasn't quite sure of what I had seen.
Noble and bold, like tales of old,
A bright burst of sunshine, this fine liquid gold."
Beautifully made, this sweet serenade,
Who is this unknown at the wine masquerade?"
This wine was awarded "Best Rhone in the World" as a Roussanne at the 2000 Los Angeles International Wine Competition. However, using DNA testing, U.C. Davis later determined that this unique grape is a rare clone of Viognier that mysteriously appeared in California during the past decade and is not, in fact, a Roussanne after all! The phantom clone originated somewhere in the Chateauneuf du Pape region of the Rhone Valley in France, then mistakenly sold to the grower - the talented Mr. Ripkin - as Roussanne, who, finally, sold the resulting grapes to Michael~David Vineyards. The rest is history!
Incognito's grapes are grown in the Ripken Vineyard, east of the Carquinez Straits in the Sacramento River Delta region of California. Warm days and cool evenings - reminiscent of the clone's native Rhone Valley - produce the powerful and intense fruit with a sultry body that characterizes this wine, making it unlike any other Viognier.
Scooter Speak: The style is very fruit forward, round, weighty, juicy, potent and dry. It is so fruity that you expect it to be sweet but it is not. The appearance is of light straw, with a greenish tint. It has aromas of peach, cold weather blossoms and noble apricot. The mouth feel is creamy, smooth, weighty, medium-bodied and tart. The mouth filling peaches and cream flavors are joined by a big warm kick in the glass. I can see why this wine could be confused for a Roussanne.
Clearly, the best Viognier (I think) that I've had in years... Oh yeah...the Phantom of the Opera mask on the front and the Mardi Gras-esque decorations on the back label are very cool !
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