A challenge to grow, Viognier's low acidity and its propensity for high levels of sugar (which spikes quickly at harvest) can, in the wrong hands lead to flabby and underwhelming wines.

But, oh, in the right hands.....

Viognier can be luxuriously opulent, full of passionfruit, honeysuckle, apricot, and peaches. The very best come from the varieties home in the Northern Rhône appellations of Chateau-Grillet and Condrieu, where vignerons like Domaine Georges Vernay have elevated its farming to an artform.