Viognier at Antione Creek Vineyard by Richard Duval

50+ wines reviewed below and in the database, including the latest from Avennia, Castle & Crown, Dunham, Liminal, Lydian, Obelisco, Ponzi, Sweet Cheeks, and Vibe.

One of the early Washington white wines that impressed me was a McCrea Cellars Viognier. As I noted in a recent article, McCrea was a pioneer of numerous Rhône varieties in Washington. I remember thinking, excitedly, “Boy, Washington can make some exceptional Viognier!”

This is one of the perils of small sample sizes. True, the Columbia Valley can make top quality Viognier, but it can also make some dreadful bottles. I always say of Viognier, it can be the best of wines, and it can be the worst of wines.

Cayuse Vineyards, Mark Ryan Winery, Gramercy Cellars, Prospice Wines, Reynvaan Family Vineyards, and others have consistently excelled with the variety. Viognier was also one of the calling cards of the now-defunct producer àMaurice Cellars.

However, Viognier is an extremely challenging variety to get right. The pick date at harvest is extremely important. Harvest it too early, and the aromas and flavors are light and lean. Harvest it too late, and the resulting wines are viscous and flabby and can smell and taste like Jolly Rancher candy. A winemaker once told me that difference can occur in just a day or two.

That is a challenge in a state where the vast majority of winemakers are remote from their vineyards. Daily checking on a single variety that moves quickly can be challenging.

Additionally, some Septembers in the Columbia Valley can be quite warm. This can further shrink the picking window in the best cases. In the worst, it can mean that there is not a point where phenological ripeness has been achieved while alcohol and acid levels are still in balance.

That’s part of what makes newcomer Liminal Wine’s 2022 Viognier, reviewed below, so exciting. It adds another winery to what is, at present, a fairly short list.

Liminal sources fruit exclusively from WeatherEye Vineyard on the top of Red Mountain. I have written about WeatherEye extensively in the past. (See article here, here, here, and here.) In short, the idea of the vineyard is to use higher elevations, varied trellising, row spacing, clonal selection, and other factors to achieve phenological ripeness while retaining more non-fruit characteristics in the grapes and preserving acidity. The early returns from the producers sourcing fruit from WeatherEye have shown a clear proof of concept.

We see that in the 2022 Liminal Viognier too. It brings all of the aromatic intensity that Viognier can offer along with rich fruit flavors. However, that’s the (relatively) easy part. Many wines that achieve this often bring with that alcoholic warmth that detracts.

The 2022 Liminal Viognier does not. Due to the factors listed above as well as the coolness of the 2022 vintage, the Liminal Viognier maintains its acidity and the alcohol remains below 14%. (Of course, this is what is listed on the label as opposed to actual alcohol, but it seems correct, to my palate.) The result is the best Viognier I’ve had from the Washington side of the Columbia Valley.

Now, can a wine like the 2022 Liminal Viognier be pulled off every year? That’s a much taller order. The 2022 vintage brought a unique combination of coolness during most of the season but heat at just the right moments that allowed certain varieties to shine. Others struggled somewhat.

Still, it proves that targets like this can be achieved. It also reminds me of that McCrea Cellars Viognier that made me so excited for the variety in the Columbia Valley all those years ago.

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At Northwest Wine Report, all scores come from blind tastings in varietal/style sets. Read more about this site’s process for rating and reviewing wines. See the Northwest Wine Report rating system and special designations. Read about how to interpret scores. See a list of recently reviewed producers.

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