Today we are tasting the 2008 Viognier “The Tower Series” by Horton Vineyards from Orange County, Virginia. We have previously had the 2007 Horton Vineyards Cabernet Franc. Viognier was once a rare white grape of the northern Rhone valley (Condrieu). It is now well established in Virginia. We located this bottle for under $12. One of the cool factors of this bottle besides the nice black with gold design is that the plastic cork lists both the website and the phone number. It is always good to see innovation.
Color
In the glass this wine is light golden in color and due to its age it is a bit frizzante.
Aroma
On the nose there are nice lemon and peach components. We also detect a little oak aroma though it is very mild. Overall it is less aromatic than we hoped. There are no floral characteristics showing right now. Viognier is noted for the floral nose.
Flavor
On the attack it is showing good body and the peach is making the transition from the nose. The mid-palate and finish show a lot of flavor. Mixed in with the lemon and orange is some Muscat like components. It finishes with a creamy vanilla component (probably oak). This is a interesting effort from Horton. Our guess is that it was picked slightly later in the season so it is basically a semi-dry Viognier. It pairs well with spicy dishes.
Rating
This is a interesting wine and offers some complex aromas and flavors. If you like Chardonnay, then give this a try. We rate it 86 points. As always, our palate isn’t yours, so let us know what you think of this wine.
Dennis Horton is widely credited with bringing Viognier to Virginia, and Horton’s Viognier is reliably “good” – your 86 is probably spot-on. I haven’t had the ‘08 yet, but the previous three vintages have not disappointed. Sure, there may be better domestic Viogniers out there, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better one in the $10-12 range.
How long did you have the bottle open, or did you swirl much? It’s interesting that you noted the nose was a little tight – I’ve had Viogniers where the nose is more enjoyable than the taste. I’m wondering if more time with the bottle opened up, or maybe warmed up? would have opened the nose up.
I expected Horton’s Viognier to be a good representation of Virginia. I wasn’t disappointed and you are right that the price is excellent. I did a lot of swirling and tried it at room temperature to see if the aroma changed, but was surprised to not get a big nose. Could have just been the bottle. Bottle variation can happen. One thing that did impress me was that the oak treatment seemed well controlled so that the wine’s aromas and flavors were featured. Would love to compare your notes if you get a chance to try the 2008. Thanks again.