The San Francisco Chronicle
West Coast Viognier

In 1991, few people in the United States had even heard of Viognier, the grape of the great white wines of Condrieu, France. California had less than 80 acres of it, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service, and half had been planted in the previous two years. Now it's trendy.... click for the full article in pdf form
By W. Blake Gray

The Los Angeles Times

Viognier When life dealt them grapes, they made wine

Imagine marrying a famous Central Coast winemaker, and when you meet your extended family, it includes not only your spouse's parents and siblings, but his winery partner.... click for the full article in pdf form
By Patrick Comiskey, Special to The Times

Food and Wine Magazine

Viognier Goes Boom

(click here to read online while available)

Food and Wine magazine provides a nice story on the growing popularity of Viognier in their August 2004 issue.

By Lettie Teague, Wine Editor

San Jose Mercury News
VIOGNIER BOOM IN CALIFORNIA SHOWS SOPHISTICATED TASTES
Posted: Wednesday, June 23, 2004
By Anthony Dias Blue

Fifteen years ago you could have mentioned viognier to a typical American wine drinker and gotten nothing but a blank stare. Today, no oenophile worthy of his or her Laguiole corkscrew could fail to have an opinion on this up-and-coming varietal.

In 1990 there were only 50 acres of viognier grapes planted in California. The latest statistics available show just over 2,000. The viognier planting spree indicates just how popular this white Rhone varietal has become with American wine drinkers, especially those looking for an alternative to chardonnay.

Viognier has shown itself amazingly adaptable to California, and vintners here are producing some stunning expressions of this grape. In the past year I've tasted more than 60 California viogniers. Nearly all were delicious, and a handful approached world-class status. California appellations from El Dorado to Santa Barbara are exhibiting success with this grape.

The popularity of viognier here is evidence of a certain level of sophistication among American consumers. Viognier takes some getting used to, with its highly aromatic nose, its intense flavors of exotic fruit and its high alcohol levels. Viognier also demands dedication on the part of vineyardists because it's a difficult grape to grow and produces relatively low yields.

So why do people bother? At its best, viognier is a seductive wine, with lush body, gorgeous perfume and a mile-long finish. Viognier, by the way, is known as the only varietal that can stand up to the notoriously wine-unfriendly artichoke.

The locus of viognier is in the Rhone Valley, where the small Condrieu and even smaller Chateau-Grillet are viognier-only appellations. These wines are scarce and pricey but worth a search. Some of the first California wineries to get on the viognier bandwagon were members of the advocacy group known as the Rhone Rangers, which promotes Rhone-style wines in the United States. Such Rhone Ranger members as Alban, Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Sierra Vista and Zaca Mesa excel at viognier much as they do at syrah. But even wineries that are not especially known for their Rhone-style wines have started producing viognier in response to increased public interest. Pinot noir and chardonnay specialist La Crema, for example, makes a small quantity of brightly toned viognier with grapes from Sonoma.

Another sign that viognier is here to stay is Cold Heaven Cellars, a viognier-only winery in Santa Barbara run by Morgan Clendenen (her husband, Jim, owns Au Bon Climat).

''When I first discovered California viognier,'' Clendenen says, ''I asked myself, 'Why is everyone clamoring for this stuff?' I didn't see what the great deal was, but I saw that it could be improved in California. I started looking for viognier benchmarks, and most of them were in France.''

Keen on experimentation, Clendenen makes four versions of viognier from California, including the beautifully silky bottling from the Sanford & Benedict vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, with rich vanilla, peach and melon tones.

Although she also makes a small amount of pinot noir from her family's vineyard, Le Bon Climat, Clendenen has carved herself a niche with her focused dedication to viognier.

''Viognier is sometimes an afterthought for a winery,'' says Clendenen. ''This is a disservice to the grape.''

Cold Heaven's most interesting wine is the viognier blend called Deux C. Half of this elegant, aromatic beauty comes from California grapes grown at the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills and is made by Clendenen. The other half is sourced from Les Chaillets in Condrieu and is made by French vintner Yves Cuilleron, who has become a close friend and collaborator of Clendenen (Clendenen and Cuilleron are the ''two C's''). Each producer contributed two barrels of wine to the blend for the 2002 vintage, for a total production of around 100 cases.

Wine Spectator Online
Winemakers Create A Viognier from Two Continents
Posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2003
By Daniel Sogg

Who says the Americans and the French can't see eye to eye these days? Santa Barbara Viognier specialist Morgan Clendenen, owner of Cold Heaven, has teamed up with Rhône vintner Yves Cuilleron to make an international Viognier blend called Deux C (Two Cs).

Half of the wine comes from California grapes from the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills and the other half comes from French grapes from the Northern Rhône appellation of Condrieu.

"This is one of those things you've had in the back of your mind for years, and finally you get up the courage to do it," said Clendenen, who started making Viognier in 1996.

She broached the idea to Cuilleron last summer at the Hospice du Rhône, an annual celebration held in Paso Robles, Calif., for producers and enthusiasts of Rhône varieties. The concept intrigued Cuilleron, and the next month they were at his winery trying different blends of 2002 barrel samples.

Cuilleron air-shipped his portion of the blend -- selected from Les Chaillets, a parcel of vines planted more than 50 years ago -- to the Au Bon Climat production facility, where Clendenen operates Cold Heaven.

Both vintners contributed two barrels, for a total production of 100 cases. Scheduled for release in January, the wine should retail for about $50. Clendenen hopes to make the Deux C every year.

Because of packaging regulations, Clendenen is not yet certain if Deux C can indicate a vintage on the label, even though it's made entirely with grapes from 2002.

The Cold Heaven Viogniers are crisper than is typical of the variety in California, where most producers make a lush style with jammy and dried fruit character. Clendenen strives for livelier acidity and aromas more akin to those of Condrieu, and she considers her friend Cuilleron a star of the region.

"It's like meeting your favorite musician and then getting to perform with him at Madison Square Garden," she said.