2003 Gregory Graham Viognier, Napa Valley

Mar 5th, 2008 by admin

Do you like Rombauer Chardonnay? Me, I don’t, not so much. It’s a big, fat, oaky, butterscotchy fruit bomb of a Chardonnay that is just not my thing. And yet, when I worked in restaurants, I must have sold a couple pallets of the stuff, because it delivers a heck of a good bang for the buck to the large group of folks who like that style of Chardonnay. Today’s wine is a Viognier crafted by by the man who created the Rombauer style. Before I spotted this bottle at TJ’s, I had not tried the Gregory Graham Viognier for a few vintages, though I remembered it as a big flowery viscous wine that was a great intro for Chardonnay lovers looking to branch out in a safe way. This 2003 vintage is certainly all that, and then some. Maybe the style has changed, or maybe my palate has changed, but this wine seems big, ripe, and tasty, but too sweet for me. The nose has lovely honeysuckle and apricot aromas that are developing nice complexity with bottle aging. In the mouth the wine has a great feel and good fruit flavors, but the sweetness makes it cloying. Just in terms of the deal TJ’s has gotten on this wine, this is worth a try if you don’t mind considerable sweetness in your wine, and it’s not a bad choice if you need something to tame some fiery stir fry, or maybe even to pair with very ripe cheeses. As a normal table wine I would have to give it a pass. It’s just too sweet.

Score: 99%

Price: $9:99