Good Viognier is lush and viscous as well as powerfully aromatic. It’s easy to see why so many of us love this white wine when it’s as good as Chateau Ste. Michelle’s. The 2019 vintage offers that engaging floral fragrance and stone fruit flavors we look for in good Viognier, as well as both freshness and richness, and a generous finish. Fermented mostly in stainless steel, a small amount of barrel fermentation in neutral oak lends subtle spice to the wine. The Archie Den Hoed Vineyards are themselves worth paying attention to. Covering 90 some acres of grapes — including Riesling, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot as well as Viognier — this land is home also to about 70 acres of apple trees. All Archie Den Hoed Vineyard grapes are destined to go to Chateau Ste. Michelle.
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Yakima Valley (Washington) Viognier 2019
By Marguerite Thomas