Steel Creek Viognier 2004

Tonight I'm drinking a wine that has become one of my recent favorites. Steel Creek Viognier 2004 from California. I stumbled on this quite by accident. We were visiting some friends, and brought a bottle of wine (I can't remember what wine, unfortunately). After finishing that bottle, our hostess Janet (who along with her husband Scott are also very interested and knowledgeable about wine) brought out a bottle that they'd been drinking and poured us a glass. I was struck by this wine immediately. The taste was unusual - fruity but not sweet, with a rich, almost tropical flavor. I sensed pineapple, asian pear and apple. It was refreshing and rich and flavorful -- good for drinking alone, or with the olives and spreads that Scott and Janet provided. I immediately wrote down the name of the wine and have been drinking it since.

The label describes it as having a "golden straw-yellow hue with rich honeysuckle and pineapple aromas. Delicious flavors of pear, peach, and tropical fruit are followed by a lingering, expansive finish." This was a very good description in my opinion. I try to always drink the wine first, write down my own impression, and THEN read the label. In this case, the label and I overlapped on many points. This is a reasonably priced (I paid $7.99 a bottle), great wine, perfect for Spring/Summer drinking out on the deck.