Battle Of The Inexpensive Viogniers

I am admittdly not much of a white wine drinker. It’s not that I don’t like white wines, it more that I would most always prefer to have a red if given a choice. One varietial that I do enjoy is Viognier. Becasue it’s trying to turn into Spring here we decided to try a couple of inexpensive ($10-15) Viogniers to see if we would be adding them to our regular summer white rotation. First up, the 2007 Sobon Estate Amador County Viognier. The wine was  light straw color. The nose gives slight apple and pineapple flavors. The wine is very crisp which is not usual for a Viognier of this age. The finish is almost bitter.  Next up, the 2006 Rockhouse Viognier which has a North Carolina appellation designation. The winery is a small operation  in Tryon, NC.  This wine was slightly darker in color that the Sobon and has a slightly sweeter nose. Across the palate pineapple leads the way with a mineral note that carries through the short finish. The Rockhouse was slightly better than the Sobon but neither will make it’s way into our regular white wine rotation. There are others in the price range that are better like Cougar Crest from Washington and Alban (if you can find it) from California’s Central Coast.