WTN: Ironstone Viognier 2005

California.

Includes 18 per cent Chardonnay.

Light yellow in the glass.

Rather light bodied, almost thin, fleshy grapefruit, some orange, lightly honeyed, very peppery.

A tangy, mouthwatering finish.

Quite un-Viognier-like, based on examples I have enjoyed from several countries over the years. No floral/perfumed notes, no orange blossom which I normally associate with this grape. Quite disappointing, particularly for the price.

Purchased at $14.95 (Canadian) and not worth it.

Sorry to hear that one didn't stack up, but I'm also not too surprised. Sometimes I think the Ironstone people are more focused on their concert series and their jewelry shop than they are the wine. As they say on their website:

...Ironstone Vineyards will surprise and delight you with a winery that places as much emphasis on the natural beauty and history of our surroundings, as we do on the quality of our wines.

Sorry to hear that one didn't stack up, but I'm also not too surprised. Sometimes I think the Ironstone people are more focused on their concert series and their jewelry shop than they are the wine. As they say on their website:

...Ironstone Vineyards will surprise and delight you with a winery that places as much emphasis on the natural beauty and history of our surroundings, as we do on the quality of our wines.

Great quote! Too telling..

I'm not familiar with their wines, but does it always include that much chardonnay? Perhaps that helped strip it of the viognier floral character you were expecting?

As far as Ironstone goes, I have only ever tasted their "Obsession" Symphony - a lovely perfumed muscat-type nose with lots of grapefruit rind. It would be even better if made crisp and laser-dry, but I doubt that'll happen.

Previous to the 2005 vintage Ironstone made some very good Viognier. Most of it was sent to the UK. They only made about 400 cases. This would have been the 2003 that I tasted first. I had met the winemaker when a rep brought him by to taste their wines several years ago. Anytime someone brings a Syrah by I always ask if they make Viognier. He answered yes but they only sold it in the UK. I ask why and he said marketing told him there was no market in the US. He sent me a bottle a few weeks later. Now the price here would have been about $9. It was the best under $10 Viognier I have ever had. You knew from the nose what it was and it had great peach flavors. If I remember correctly it came in at 15% alc. The next vintage was almost as good. Then we came to 2005. It had absolutely no varietal character at all. I was told that their production had tripled. It just tasted like inocuous white wine.

I was told that their production had tripled..

From the same amount of land? Or new vineyard acquisitions?

It was my understanding that they purchased all their Viognier grapes. When Viognier became more popular they were just less discriminating. The 2005 vintage shows 12.5% alc. compared to the 15% and 14.5 from previous vintages. I would be curious to see what 2006 is like. Once I tasted the 2005 I quit carrying it.

It was my understanding that they purchased all their Viognier grapes. When Viognier became more popular they were just less discriminating. The 2005 vintage shows 12.5% alc. compared to the 15% and 14.5 from previous vintages. I would be curious to see what 2006 is like. Once I tasted the 2005 I quit carrying it.

Aha. That is a big change from one year to the next.

The one time I tried a Viognier from Niagara it tasted of absolutely ... nothing. I never bought another one after that.

It seems that every time a grape name gets popular, everyone rushes to put it on the label, but quality is a secondary consideration.

I also just went to their website and they no longer list Viognier in their regular tier of wines. They do list one in a new series called Christine Andrews. I had not realized this was their. I had a rep bring some of these wines by a few months ago. The Viognier did not pass the taste test at the new improved price of $16 retail. If I remember correctly it was to sweet and did not have enough aromatics for me.

Then we came to 2005. It had absolutely no varietal character at all. It just tasted like inocuous white wine.

Yup, that's exactly what I got.

As far as Ironstone goes, I have only ever tasted their "Obsession" Symphony - a lovely perfumed muscat-type nose with lots of grapefruit rind. It would be even better if made crisp and laser-dry, but I doubt that'll happen.

That's the one wine of theirs I've had that I liked. I agree that it would be interesting to try a dry version, but the sweet one is still very tasty.

I was told that their production had tripled..

From the same amount of land? Or new vineyard acquisitions?

Rahsaan, despite being located in the Sierra foothills (near Murphys in Calaveras County), as I understand it the lion's share of Ironstone's fruit is not sourced from their own vineyards or even from the foothills but rather from the even warmer climes of the Central Valley. That would seem to be confirmed by the OP which said the label gave the appellation as "California". If they could use "Sierra Foothills" or the county, I'm sure they would. Given the wide sourcing of their fruit, a certain lack of character in the wine should perhaps not be a surprise. The only thing that surprises *me* is that this particular wine was only 12.5% alcohol.

I visited the winery once, or almost did. I was deeply skeptical when I saw the huge parking lot and the buses but went inside anyway and found they were geared up to be an all-purpose tourist attraction - gardens, weddings, concerts and museum (with giant gold nugget!). The wine seemed to be a lower priority and, put off by the crowds from the buses, we ended up leaving without tasting.

By the way, I spent three years in the southeast of England in the late '90's and thought with the relative scarcity of California wine there at the time it was strange that a relatively undistinguished winery from a relatively unknown region (the Sierra foothills, that is) was distributed there. Ridge and Ironstone, that's all I saw in some shops. Ridge I could understand, Ironstone not so much. Seeking an explanation, I was told that Ironstone had gotten some federal government money meant to promote US exports. Whether the rumor was true, I have no idea.

By the way, I spent three years in the southeast of England in the late '90's and thought with the relative scarcity of California wine there at the time it was strange that a relatively undistinguished winery from a relatively unknown region (the Sierra foothills, that is) was distributed there. Ridge and Ironstone, that's all I saw in some shops. Ridge I could understand, Ironstone not so much. Seeking an explanation, I was told that Ironstone had gotten some federal government money meant to promote US exports. Whether the rumor was true, I have no idea.

Interesting. I don't buy much CA wine here in London (I didn't buy much when living in CA either!) but these days I think they have more available. For all budgets. In fact it constantly surprises me when people show up with wretched sub-5GBP plonk that somehow managed to find its way herel. Truly horrid stuff..