VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Listed Alphabetically within each category)

Rosenblum
2000 Viognier
Lodi, Ripkin Vineyard

Light straw; mildly sweet, fresh, light, complex aroma mingles honeysuckle, grapefruit, stone fruit, oak, and lees; very pleasant, peach, apricot, clean, light, lively flavors; light to medium body with some richness; slightly tart, "snappy" balance; finish has just slight hints of heat and astringency, 14.6%. Very well-grown, well-made varietal example that makes an easy-drinking, very enjoyable wine. ($11.50) BEST BUY

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Eberle
2000 Viognier
Paso Robles, "Mill Road Vineyard"

Golden; rich, clean, spicy, citrussy, very ripe fruit and honey-like, butterscotch aromas; light, easy-drinking, clean, concentrated fruit, apricot, slightly earthy flavors; rich, medium-full body; well balanced, crisp; long finish with a little heat, 14.5%. Overall a very nice wine, although the aromas set up more expectation than the flavors provided. ($16.)

Jepson
2000 Viognier
Mendocino County

Pale gold; rich, fresh, honeysuckle, orange blossom, fruity, peach, citric, lemony aromas with grassy (stemmy?), Sauvignon Blanc-like (cat box?) notes; clean, mouth-filling fruit flavors match nose (underripe?); medium body; crisp balance is slightly tart; long, clean finish, 14.5%. Overall well-liked, although with a slight "edginess" that put an exact label just out of reach. ($14.)

RECOMMENDED

Alban
1999 Viognier
Edna Valley, Estate

Light gold; candied peach, butter, alcoholic (sour milk? wiener? sulfur-dioxide? ) aromas; light, canned peach and butter rum flavors with a hint of bell pepper (sour milk? chemical?); rich, medium body; tart balance; fruit shows mainly in the finish, 14.7%. The flavors were tolerable and balance fine, but the aggressive aroma was a put-off. Some tasters thought this may have been a bad bottle. ($25.)

EXP (R.H. Phillips)
1999 Viognier
Dunnigan Hills

Pale gold; clean, floral, lemony, spicy, "rainwater", candied, "bubble gum" aroma (initial sulfur-dioxide?) with slight wood; bland, nondescript flavors; medium body; well balanced, slightly flabby; clean, long, slightly bitter finish, 14%. Fairly well balanced, innocuous tasting wine, marred by sulfur. ($13.)

Garretson
2000 Viognier
Paso Robles, Fralich Vineyard

Very light pale yellow; mild, peach, floral, candied aromas; slightly sweet, lemon, apricot, pear, syrupy flavors match the aromas; full, luscious (thick?) body; well balanced; long, clean finish, 14.6%. There was some controversy over this wine - some panel members thought the balance flabby, some tart. It seemed overall very clean and quite pleasant without much complexity. ($20.)

Pepperwood Grove
1999 Viognier
California

Light yellow gold; rich, ripe to overripe strawberry, pineapple, honey and oak aromas (slight sulfur-dioxide?); pleasant entry, light, concentrated, fruity flavors; medium to full body (cumbersome?); well balanced, slightly tart; slightly alcoholic, slightly bitter finish, 12.5%. Too fruity for some panelists, but others thought a good candidate for quaffing if well-chilled. ($7.50) BEST BUY

Vichon
1998 Viognier
Mediterranean

Light greenish-yellow; pleasant, very light, citric, lemon, anise, grassy, herbal (burnt?) aromas; very light, lean (almost no) flavors; body controversial (thin, watery or full, fat); balance slightly low acid, 12.5%; quick finish. Not very exciting, but also nothing objectionable in this wine which, well chilled, would make an agreeable and quite reasonably-priced quaffer. ($7.) BEST BUY

NOT RECOMMENDED

Renwood
2000 Viognier
California "Sierra Series"

Light yellow; (initial sulfur-dioxide?) citrus, peach, cantaloupe, lees, and wood in aroma; initially harsh, austere, mineral, (chemical?) flavors were flat and lacking fruit; body; tart (sour?) balance; slightly tannic, slightly bitter, slightly hot in finish, 13.5%. Renwood needs to pay attention, if they expect to be in the Viognier market. ($10.50)

Smith & Hook
1998 Viognier
Arroyo Seco

Light amber; unpleasant, overripe stench (sulfur-dioxide? corked?); bland, flat minerally, "rubber band" (slightly oxidized?) flavors, completely lacking in fruit; bitter, hot finish, ??%. What happened here? Bad winemaking, bad storage, or some of each? One taster's remark: "Tastes like wine drunk through a hot garden hose." ($14.50)