An esteemed white-wine grape considered very rare because of the limited acreage planted throughout the world. In addition, its low yield and susceptibility to vineyard diseases make Viognier wines extremely difficult to find. This grape gained its distinguished reputation from the northern RHONE wines of CH TEAU-GRILLET and CONDRIEU. Connoisseurs crave these intense, DRY white wines with vibrant floral qualities and an intriguing BOUQUET reminiscent of apricots, peaches, and pears. Within the C TE R TIE vineyards, a small amount of Viognier is interplanted with SYRAH, a red grape. The Viognier grapes are harvested and vinified with the Syrah to produce the highly valued COte ROtie red wines. It's extremely rare for France to officially sanction the use of a white grape in such high-quality red wines. California has a small but increasing amount of Viognier planted, with JOSEPH PHELPS VINEYARDS being one of the early innovators with this variety.
