Marquis de Pennautier Viognier 2018
Viognier
French wine has a three tier classification, with AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) being the top tier. Examples of AOCs would be Champagne or Medoc in Bordeaux. Of note the AOC designation and laws are also used to protect spirits, cheese and other agricultural products in a similar way. Sitting in the middle tier is Vin de Pays (“country wine”), which designates a region and quality level. Then the lowest tier is Vin de France, which replaced Vin de Table in 2010, which is the designation for the most basic French wines with the least regulation.
Today’s wine is from Vin de Pays d'Oc, the largest regional category of Vin de Pays in France, located in Languedoc-Roussillon in Southern France, stretching along the Mediteranean coast. Château de Pennautier is one of the oldest wine making chateaus in France, dating back to 1620. Owned by Maison Lorgeril estate, family run and now in their tenth generation of winemaking.
The wine is 100% Viognier. The Viognier vines are grown on North facing slopes, ensuring a cool climate during the hot Mediteranean summers. This ensures good acidity and freshness. On the nose there are apricots, peach and melon. The palate is a mix of citrus fruits, peach and passion fruit. There is good minerality with a crisp finish. Overall the wine was enjoyable but felt it was too dominated by acid and citrus fruit without enough balance from the softer fruits, leading to a slightly sharp finish.
Score: 86
Price:
- UK: £9.99 (Amazon Link)
- EU: €8.93
- US: $15.49
Wine specification:
- Grape variety: 100% Viognier
- Region: Northern Languedoc, South France
- Vintage 2018
- Ageing: Unoaked
- Alcohol: 13.5%
Where to buy:
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