Tag Archives: viognier

Wine of the week: McManis Viognier 2018

McManis viognier
McManis viognier/$8-$12

This white shows that California producers who want to make great cheap wine can – and do

The Wine Curmudgeon has long been a fan of McManis’ $10 wines, which offer quality, varietal character, and tremendous value. In fact, the winery sometimes improves even on its own high standard – a bonus we don’t see much any more.

That’s the case for California’s McManis viognier 2018 ( $10, purchased, 13.5%). It’s a stunning white wine – my notes call it a “brilliant viognier that puts more expensive wines to shame.” In other words, all we can hope for from a $10 wine.

The viognier, despite its age, is still fresh. It’s a dry wine, with peachy fruit and a sort of oily quality, the kind of thing that sometimes shows up in the best French viogniers. The finish is almost pithy, which nicely balances the fruit and offers structure. This is summer porch wine – chill it and sip it.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2022 Cheap Wine of the Year (as well as to remain in the Hall of Fame). The bad news? Availability can be spotty for the McManis wines, despite their quality and the fact that the winery us among the 100 biggest in the country. There appears to be lots of the 2019, which seems to be the current vintage, but not as much of the 2018. But, given McManis’ quality, the 2019 is more than worth trying.

Wine and food pairings 13: Crawfish etouffee

https://cdn.copymethat.com/media/crawfish-etouffee-20180422133749427688cxocf.jpg
Yes, I actually took a picture this time.

The Wine Curmudgeon pairs wine with some of his favorite recipes in this occasional feature. This edition: three wines with classic Cajun crawfish etouffee

Crawfish season is coming to a close in south Louisiana, which means it will be harder to find a a picnic table covered with boiled crawfish to salivate over. But isn’t part of the Wine Curmudgeon’s job to solve problems like that?

Hence, crawfish etouffee, which I actually prefer to a boil. Peeling crawfish has never been one of my best things, and etouffee is more wine friendly. Boiled crawfish is beer, and usually Budweiser. And not to worry if the idea of “etouffee” sounds intimidating. An etouffee is a simple stew – nothing more than a roux, some aromatics, and the crawfish. And please, no tomatoes.

Finding crawfish isn’t difficult, either. Use packaged, pre-cooked tails, which are more common than ever in supermarkets and the Internet. Just don’t buy imported crawfish tails, which are rubbery and have no taste. Sadly, these brands carry Cajun-sounding names like Bernard’s and Thibodeaux’s. So make sure to check the “product of” line on the package.

Click here to download or print a copy of the recipe. What wines to pair? Etoufee is rich, spicy, and wonderfully fishy, so many of the usual suspects won’t work:

• Le Paradou Viognier 2019 ($10, purchased, 12.5%). This French white features stone fruits, a bit of citrus, and some minerality. It’s not sweet, but wonderfully fruity. Imported by European Cellars

• Masciarelli Colline Teatine Rosato 2019 ($12, purchased, 13%): Fruity but dry (strawberries and cherries?), but not so crisp as to get in the way of the etouffee. Imported by Vintus

• Aplanta 2019 ($11, purchased, 13.5%): Well-made Portuguese red that offers value and varietal correctness. Fresh red fruit, a little Portuguese heaviness in the mouth, and mostly balanced. Needs food. Imported by Ole & Obrigador

Blog associate editor Churro contributed to this post.

More about wine and food pairings:
• Wine and food pairings 12: Hot dogs
• Wine and food pairings 11: Croque monsieur, turkey style
• Wine and food pairings 10: Lemon rosemary roasted turkey thighs

Slider photo: “Rome Elite Event: wine, food and nice people” by Yelp.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Wine of the week: Maison Nicolas Perrin Viognier 2017

Nicolas Perrin ViognierThe Nicolas Perrin viognier is a French white wine made with style and grace

The Nicolas Perrin viognier is a revelation – a French white that takes into account terroir and varietal character, and does so affordably and with style.

Know that viognier isn’t much like like chardonnay, even though it’s sometimes compared to chardonnay. So don’t expect toasty and oaky or lots of apple fruit. Rather, the Nicolas Perrin viognier ($10, purchased, 13%) features viognier’s telltale stone fruit, bright and fresh and full. It’s not quite as a fruity as a New World viognier from Texas or Virginia, and there is also more of a mineral note than we get in the U.S. Most importantly, it’s heavier, but in the almost oily way common to French viogniers. In this, it needs food – roast chicken with apricots, perhaps, or grilled scallops.

Highly recommended; almost certain to take its place in the 2020 $10 Hall of Fame and a candidate for the 2020 cheap wine of the year.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

Wine of the week: McManis Viognier 2016

mcmanis viognierThe McManis viognier is $10 Hall of Fame quality – a reminder that California can produce great cheap wine

California viognier is infamous for being heavy, overoaked, and too alcoholic, lacking grace and subtlety. So how does the McManis viognier taste completely different – and for just $10?

Because the McManis family still cares about making great cheap wine. Others may have gone over to the dark side, but the McManis viognier ($10, purchased, 13.5%) remains a symbol of what California once was – quality wine at a fair price.

The 2016 viognier remains fresh and interesting, with ripe, juicy apricot fruit, an almost oily mouth feel, and a stone fruit pit finish. In this, it’s classic New World viognier, a little less overwhelming than its French cousins from the Rhone, but still heavy enough that it’s a food wine.

I drank it with a cornbread tamale pie made with chicken and tomatillo sauce, and I couldn’t have asked for a better pairing. It would also work with roast chicken (and add some dried apricots) or any post-modern salad with fresh stone fruit.

Highly recommended, and the year’s first candidate for the 2020 Cheap Wine of the Year. The 2017 is the current vintage, but there is plenty of 2016 on store shelves.

Wine of the week: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2014

Pine Ridge chenin blanc viognierHow impressive is this California white wine blend? For one thing, it has its own website, and how many $10 wines can say that? For another, some retailers — who apparently have no shame — charge as much as $15 for it. Is it any wonder the Wine Curmudgeon is so curmudgeonly?

The other thing you need to know about the Pine Ridge chenin blanc viognier ($10, purchased, 12.5%)? That it is, as always, one of the great cheap wines ever made, combining the qualities of each grape to produce something greater than the whole. Given how much stupid label, fake oak, sort of sweet cheap white wine gets foisted off on us, this is a revelation. And that it’s made with two grapes that don’t get much respect makes the Pine Ridge chenin blanc viognier that much more interesting.

In addition, the Pine Ridge chenin blanc viognier is different each vintage, something that also rarely happens with cheap wine. The 2014 has less citrusy sauvignon blanc character than the 2013 (something you can get from chenin blanc), with more steely chenin minerality and a dollop of white fruit (peach?) from the viognier, as well as an almost floral aroma.

Drink this chilled on its own, or with any end of the summer dinner. It’s a fried seafood wine, too — clam rolls, anyone? Highly recommended, and sure to take its place again in next year’s $10 Hall of Fame.

Mini-reviews 70: Ponzi, white Rhone, lemberger, pinot blanc

wine reviews PonziReviews of wines that don ?t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month.

? Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Gris 2014 ($17, sample, 13.2%): Needs more time in the bottle, but when this Oregon white is ready in a couple of months, it should be classic, elegant Oregon pinot gris — fresh tropical fruit, rich mouth feel, and long finish.

?Dauvergne-Ranvier C tes du Rh ne Vin Gourmand 2012 ($15, purchased, 13.5%): Uninspired white French blend that was overpriced and lacking in anything to make it interesting. A hint of viognier (peach?) and not much else. We do this kind of wine much better in Texas.

? Weingut Schnaitmann Lemberger 2012 ($15, sample, 13%): Unfortunately for those of us who like lemberger, a red grape that’s hard to find, this isn’t the answer. There’s lots of red fruit, but this German wine is disjointed and needs something more than just the fruit.

? Rudi Wiest Dry Pinot Blanc 2012 ($12, sample, 12%): This German white was delightful, with candied lime fruit, fizzy acidity, and just a touch sweet. It was everything I hope it would be; the catch being that availability is limited.

Mini-reviews 54: Beaujolais Nouveau, Cousino-Macul, McManis, 14 Hands

Reviews of wines that don ?t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month.

? Georges Dub uf Beaujolais Nouveau 2013 ($8, purchased, 12%): Much better this vintage — less banana and more oomph, including acidity that hasn’t been there for several years. It’s still not as grapey as it should be, but decent enough cheap wine. Good to see that this annual tradition is worth buying again.

? Cousi o-Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Reservas 2010 ($17, sample, 14%). Chilean red has more in common with California Central Coast style, meaning lots of juicy black fruit and a little herbal aroma, than it does with many Chilean wines.

? McManis Viognier 2012 ($12, purchased, 13.5%): Oily, very fruity (peaches?), and a little bitter on the back — decent enough, but not near the quality of the rest of McManis’ wines. California and viognier continue to be a difficult combination.

? 14 Hands Hot to Trot White 2010 ($10, purchased, 13%): Nowhere near the quality of the 14 Hands red blend, this Washington state effort has an unpleasant finish and is uneven and disjointed, with an odd fruitiness. Very disappointing.