2010 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier

SKU #1068997 90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This remarkable cuvee has been a great value for thrifty consumers for a number of years. The 2010 Chenin Blanc-Viognier (79% of the former and 21% of the latter) sells for a preposterously low price. Moreover, it is a 50,000 case lot so there is wide availability. Wonderfully crisp, elegant, fresh honeydew melon, spring flower, white peach and honeysuckle aromas soar from the glass of this zesty, dry, medium-bodied white wine. The melon character follows through on the palate of this pure, delicious, screw cap-finished effort. Enjoy it over the next year. (8/ 2011)

Wine Enthusiast

The perfect cocktail wine, dryish and acidic, yet enormously rich in tangerine, peach, lime and honey flavors. So easy to like by itself, yet will drink well with semisweet Chinese and Vietnamese fare. (9/ 2011)

K&L Notes

Ever-popular, and always highly-rated, the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier is a unique blend of two varietals that aren't ordinarily found together, but marry quite well. While predominantly Chenin Blanc from the Clarksburg appellation on the Sacramento River Delta (79%), the 21% Lodi Viognier asserts itself by adding notes of flowers, spice and a glyceral texture. The wine, as always, is intensely aromatic, with scents of Ruby red grapefruit, cantaloupe, guava, honeysuckle and lemon blossom. There's lots of juicy fruit on the palate, with flavors of sappy, ripe peaches and apricots, crunchy, tangy pineapple and crisp Bosc pear. There's just a hint of residual sugar that helps keep the Chenin's natural acidity in check, and the wine has a long, lingering finish. Try it with sushi.