Viognier

Robin Day had four Viognier harvests in France under his belt before he decided to plant Viognier at Domain Day.

He made Viognier in the Nimes/Avignon area from vineyards on the plateau and the Costiere de Nimes. He also watched reverently as a small Condrieu harvest was despatched by his friend Jean-Luc Chaleat at St Desirat in the northern Rhone. Although his presence in St Joseph was to watch over some selected parcels of Syrah, his curiosity concerning Viognier resulted in a consuming passion.

The stark simplicity of the approaches taken to growing and making Viognier is very impressive. The key features, ripeness and aspect (which in some ways is akin to saying the same thing twice) meant that Viognier was destined for the best drained northerly slope at Domain Day. Here it ripens well with full rich flavours of honeysuckle that follow through into a mouth filling wine.

With Viognier, probably more than most white varieties, the fruit quality is everything and the winemaking is simple.