Great red fruit nose upon opening, but decanted 2 hours and the nose closed down a bit and became more lead and oak notes. Silky and smooth on entry, but a bit short and bitter on the finish...where did the fruit go? Went well with a herb-crusted NY strip with blue cheese butter, but certainly not a standout. I'm concerned that the tannins need another 5 years to mellow, but the fruit has already left the building; unfortunate, as I still have another 9 bottles in the cellar (bought a case en premiere and cellared at 57 C since). Don't expect this to improve with more age.
I admit ahead of time I have not been a huge fan of Viognier, but had always had mediocre terroirs or producers; this was my first chance to taste what I expected to be a quality bottle that would show the attributes of the grape grown in its natural home. The nose was subdued but pleasant, demonstrating tree fruits and spice. The initial mouth feel was a bit flabby, lacking the acidity to balance it out, and turned a a touch bitter on the finish. The food we paired with it (a sauted pine nuts and Brussels sprouts pasta dish that I have successfully paired with 1er Cru Chablis in the past) totally overwhelemed the wine (again, due to the lack of acidity). However, it also gets tiring drinking without food. Maybe Viognier just isn't my thing; for the money, I would rather buy two bottles of Alsacian Gwertz and get a similar styled wine that pairs better with food.
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2005 Château Pipeau
8/24/2013 - WineLover422 wrote: 88 Points
Great red fruit nose upon opening, but decanted 2 hours and the nose closed down a bit and became more lead and oak notes. Silky and smooth on entry, but a bit short and bitter on the finish...where did the fruit go? Went well with a herb-crusted NY strip with blue cheese butter, but certainly not a standout. I'm concerned that the tannins need another 5 years to mellow, but the fruit has already left the building; unfortunate, as I still have another 9 bottles in the cellar (bought a case en premiere and cellared at 57 C since). Don't expect this to improve with more age.
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2010 E. Guigal Condrieu
8/21/2013 - WineLover422 Does not like this wine: 87 Points
I admit ahead of time I have not been a huge fan of Viognier, but had always had mediocre terroirs or producers; this was my first chance to taste what I expected to be a quality bottle that would show the attributes of the grape grown in its natural home. The nose was subdued but pleasant, demonstrating tree fruits and spice. The initial mouth feel was a bit flabby, lacking the acidity to balance it out, and turned a a touch bitter on the finish. The food we paired with it (a sauted pine nuts and Brussels sprouts pasta dish that I have successfully paired with 1er Cru Chablis in the past) totally overwhelemed the wine (again, due to the lack of acidity). However, it also gets tiring drinking without food. Maybe Viognier just isn't my thing; for the money, I would rather buy two bottles of Alsacian Gwertz and get a similar styled wine that pairs better with food.
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