A few weeks ago, the staff of my local wine shop sent me a text because this bottle reminded them of me. Viognier is not a grape I go out of my way to try because it commonly has aromas of banana Laffy Taffy. I have an aversion to bananas but I find this aroma extremely off putting. I was told this particular bottle tastes like Froot Loops cereal and they were reminded of my long ago series on pairing wines with breakfast cereals. This particular bottle underwent traditional method sparkling wine production, the same as Champagne. According to the producer, the idea for this wine was from historical records that described a white wine from the Northern Rhône. The liqueur de tirage, a blend of wine, yeast, yeast nutrients, and sugar added prior to a bottle before the bottle aging process, is made up of late harvest Viognier from Condrieu AOC and no sugar.
This week I had a 2022 Cave Yves Cuilleron Méthode Traditionnelle Vionnier Brut Nature. It is a pale straw color with aromas of brioche, ripe peach, apricot, orange blossom, and white grapefruit juice and pith. On the palate, this wine has a gentle, persistent mousse. The fuller body is balanced with a moderate level of acidity. The fruit notes dominate the palate. I ate spicy peachy o’s candy a few minutes before I had my first glass of this wine. The peach flavors in the candy and wine were very similar. On the finish, the bitterness of the grapefruit pith and notes of wet stone over take the aforementioned fruit notes. This wine isn’t quite Froot Loops fruity but it is very fruity for a sparkling wine. It would pair great with peach cobbler, fried fish tacos with fruit salsa, or Tajin peachy o’s candy! I was sad I ate most of them before I poured my wine!
-TheLooseTannin
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 