Cline Viognier - $10.99

Wine Details

Price: $10.99
Producer: Cline Cellars
Region: California
Varietal: Viognier
Container Size: 750 ML
Flavors: candied, orange
  • Award Winning
  • White Wine
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Product Description

  • Viognier comes to us from the Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet appellations of the northern Rhone. It was presumed to have arrived from Dalmatia and transported to the Rhone by Emperor Probus in AD 281. Currently there are approximately 2,000 acres planted of this varietal in California. Cline’s Viognier offers rich and distinctive aromas of pears, apricots, orange blossoms and honeysuckle.
  • After receiving a degree in Agriculture Management from U.C. Davis, Fred Cline started Cline Cellars with an inheritance from his grandfather. The cellars were founded near Oakley, California. Here, he preserved and restored many ancient vine sites to their rightful reign as premier California wine lands. In 1991, Fred and his wife Nancy relocated the winery from Oakley to the Carneros region of Sonoma County on a historic 350-acre estate with new vineyards and facilities. While much of the cool Carneros region is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot, Fred pioneered the planting of Rhône varietals including Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. This experimentation led to producing rich, distinctive Rhône-style wines and intense, flavorful Zinfandels for which he has garnered enormous acclaim.

Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
WineSpectator - 86 Details: Bursts with fragrant aromas of honeysuckle and apricot leading to succulent peach, spice and cream flavors. Finishes with a lively blend of crisp acidity and toasty oak. Drink now. 9,950 cases made. – 2005 WineSpectator
CGCW - 86 Details: Orange blossoms and sweet peaches lead the way in this young and vital potion. Sweet and balanced on the palate, and quite frontal in its juicy flavors, it tastes a little on the candied side as it finishes, but it is smooth and supple in texture and will be an absolutely ideal quaffer in the near term. 2004 CGCW candied, orange
WineSpectator - 84 Details: Fragrant, with apricot, peach and floral flavors accented by tangy citrus. Drink now. 3,380 cases made. – 2004 WineSpectator
WineSpectator - 86 Details: Ripe and fragrant, with peach, apricot and floral flavors that have a fat texture and just enough acidity to stay vibrant. Drink now. 4,450 cases made. – 2002 WineSpectator apricot, peach
WineSpectator - 86 Details: Floral and focused, with bright peach, lemon and tangy apple flavors that will show well with food. Drink now through 2003. 6,355 cases made. – 2001 WineSpectator
WineEnthusiast - 84 Details: Simple and fruity, but a bit deficient in vibrancy, with ripe peach, pear and fig flavors. Finishes with some sweetness, and would be okay with fruits, Asian food, or by itself. 2001 WineEnthusiast apple, lemon, peach
CGCW - 86 Details: Mildly creamy with touches of ripe tropical fruit and very subtle suggestions of oak showing in both its lively young aromas and rounded, medium-depth flavors, this bottling starts out nicely, but its faintly phenolic edge and trailing touch of bitterness take away too much of its early luster. 2001 CGCW oak
WineSpectator - 86 Details: Ripe and lively, with coconut, peach, grass and flower flavors, nicely focused by citrus notes. Drink now. 2,998 cases made. – 2000 WineSpectator citrus, coconut, grass, peach
WineEnthusiast - 80 Details: Kind of earthy and lemony, with some simple melon and peach characteristics. A bit weedy at the end. 2000 WineEnthusiast

Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Fish or Shellfish Tuna, Mahi-Mahi

Awards and Accolades

  Name Vintage
Award Winner Bronze - 2008 San Diego Int'l Wine Competition 2007

Wine Terms

Name Value
United States Wineries exist in all fifty states, but the most predominant (and best) wine comes from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State, with New York gaining a foothold in the industry. American wines make up about 75% of all wine sales in the US. The appellation system uses the term AVA (American Viticultural Area) to determine where wines were produced, but grape varieties can be planted anywhere in the country. American wineries generally use varietal labeling, and government regulations require that the variety on the label must make up at least 75% of the blend (in Oregon it’s 90%). The words reserve, special selection, private reserve, classic, and so on have no legal definition in the US. Some wineries use these terms to indicate their better wines; others use the words as a marketing tool to move lower quality wines off the shelf.
Viognier (vee oh nyay)—A grape from France’s Rhone Valley that is becoming popular in California and the south of France. The floral aroma and delicate apricot flavors that characterize the medium to full-bodied wine are due to low acidity.
California California produces the majority of wine made in the United States. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir dominate the wine production in California, but many other varietials thrive in the California climate. Many fine wines are produced in California using Mediterranean grapes.