Past Issues:
Texas Wine Pick, feb/mar 2000
After receiving several recommendations
of Becker Vineyard's 1998 Viognier, we decided
to really put it to the test. We assembled
a blind Viognier tasting and put this Texas
wine up against some stiff competition.
The bottom line? It more than held its own!
($16). This 86%
Viognier, 14% Chardonnay wine has great
body and balance. Equal layers of peach
and orange are interwoven with spice, a
touch of oak, and a very nice mineral through
line. A solid, creamy finish completes the
picture beautifully. This is a classy wine.
($10). Interestingly, this happy little
wine was a tasters' favorite. It is peachy,
if it's anything. It is unexpectedly open
on the nose, with a full wave of peach and
floral aromas. And peach and floral are
what you get on the palate, too. But there
is still enough balance by way of the lightest
touch of oak, as well as a little fig and
hazelnut flavors to make this a thoroughly
enjoyable wine.
($15). This
Sonoma Viognier falls more on the apricot
side of the Viognier "is it peach or
is it apricot?" spectrum. Nice tangerine
flavors round out the fruity body, and a
spice and mineral core makes it versatile.
Very good!
($8). What a nice
surprise -- especially for this price! Unexpectedly
ripe and full-bodied with loads of varietal
orchard fruit and florals, along with a
nice bit of honeydew.
It did very well. Upon
uncorking, the nose was very tight. I mean
really closed. Virtually no nose, actually.
But in all honesty, the wine had just come
out of the cooler and was just too cold.
Once the wine came to a more appropriate
serving temperature, it began to open up.
(A good little lesson to us all, by the
way. It's a good idea to let a refrigerated
wine sit at room temp for about 30 minutes
to fully appreciate the bouquet and flavors.)
Aromas of pear and citrus were fulfilled
in the mouth. This wine is a blend of 85%
Viognier and 15% Chardonnay and was oak-aged
for four months. The lightly oaked Chardonnay
added some body and roundness to the wine.
Touches of vanilla and dried apricot are
also present and make the wine richer on
the finish.
The 1998 retails for around
$17, and the 1999 has just been released
at $18. In fact the 1999 is probably what
you'll see on the shelves! Production of
the 1997 was 297 cases (sold out at the
winery) and 697 cases for the 1998. Distribution
is primarily the bigger Texas markets, like
Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi, San Antonio,
and Austin.
Established in 1992 in the Texas Hill Country
near Fredericksburg, Becker Vineyards is
the first Texas winery to produce a Viognier.
Becker Vineyards harvests sixteen different
varietals. All vintages are aged in new
French oak and stored in the largest underground
wine cellar in Texas. The winery itself
is located in a reproduction 19th century
German stone barn is surrounded by quarterhorses,
peach orchards, and fields of wildflowers
and lavender. The winery has a tasting room
and welcomes visitors.
|
