San Simeon Stefano Vineyard Viognier 2017
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San Simeon Viognier is a bright, luscious wine with ripe peach flavors and tropical notes. The nose reveals bright floral aromas. Mineral notes express the rocky terroir of the vineyard. This structured and well-balanced wine shows a lengthy finish.
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From the Riboli family's new vineyard named after the patriarch, this bottling offers tuberose and tropical aromas of mango and papaya cream on the nose, but with a chalky edge. The palate is clean and crisp in flavors of lemon curd and apple mousse.
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2021-
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San Simeon Wines are terroir-driven wines shaped by unique soils and the Pacific Ocean’s influence, which cools the vineyards at night to give the wines their distinct freshness. The name pays homage to the vital role the fog and cool air from the sea plays in the vineyards, and the label honors the heritage of the region by featuring the historic San Piedras lighthouse. San Simeon wines are crafted to provide a sense of place and can only be described as… Rugged. Refined. Respected.
The Riboli Family has made a steadfast commitment to producing the highest quality grapes from estate vineyards in two of the most prestigious regions along California’s Central Coast: Monterey and Paso Robles. Our vineyards are meticulously farmed to yield grapes with concentrated flavors and aromas, while our winemaking techniques create unique wines of the highest quality and character. They pay special attention to the cultivation of their vineyards and have confidence you’ll taste the fruits of their passion in the complexity of their wines.
Full-figured and charmingly floral, Viognier is one of the most important white grapes of the northern Rhône where it is used both to produce single varietal wines and as an important blending grape. Look for great New World examples from California, Oregon, Washington and cooler parts of Australia. Somm Secret—Viognier plays a surprisingly important role in the red wines of Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône. About 5% Viognier is typically co-fermented with the Syrah in order to stabilize the color, and as an added benefit, add a subtle perfume.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.