All About Viognier

The hottest topic this month, amid harvest, has been the Viognier. While Chrysalis Vineyards is well known for its Albariño and Norton, the Viognier is a tried and true favorite for many of our customers. Jenni and I have been talking about this year’s vintage of Viognier quite a bit. So, I thought I would share some of the key points and insights on what makes our Viognier so unique. 

Chrysalis Vineyards Viognier truly showcases its varietal characteristics not when the grape chemistry is ideal, but when it’s just starting to become over ripe. This isn’t to say that we wait for rotten berries, but it's more along the lines of a higher brix and certain flavors in the grapes that we wait for. Flavors such as: ripe cantaloupe, honey dew, and even a tinge of mango are Chrysalis Vineyards’ key identifiers. 

The next unique feature of Chrysalis Vineyards Viognier is the use of wild fermentation. A wild ferment, or natural fermentation, is when we separate some juice and allow ambient yeast or yeast floating around in the air or already residing in the juice, to begin fermentation. A wild ferment will serve to increase those ripe characteristics and add even more complexity to the wine overall. We do this in separate carboys, and only after careful evaluation is it used in place of commercial yeast. 

Lastly, our Viognier is always barrel fermented in neutral oak. This allows us to push the concept of mouthfeel through “bâtonnage” or stirring of the lees. Just after fermentation, we will begin stirring the lees that have settled at the bottom of the barrel. The lees, made up of dead yeast cells, act as oxygen scavengers and provide that rich mouthfeel for our Viognier. All the stars have lined up this year and we are exceptionally excited for this vintage!