From: Yakima Valley, Washington, USA
Varietal: Viognier
Tasting Notes: If not Washington's finest Viognier, then damn close. Meyer lemon, orange blossom, summer melon, white peach, and buttered bread carry through on a lengthy finish. Carries excellent balance and varietal character.
Pairing: Viognier can be a tricky wine to match up, but the richness of the wine works well with richer proteins - think roast chicken, turkey (use this for your Thanksgiving dinner!) or poached salmon. The spice in the wine also works wonders with Indian food. We're sharing an easy recipe to make, by Sam Sifton for Turkey à la King, so you can relax in comfort and enjoy the evening with an old classic.
About. “I’m a curious person. I wanted to know how wine was made,” said Mark Ryan McNeilly on the origins of Mark Ryan Winery, which he founded in 1999 with the simple and lofty goal of making the best wine in Washington State. Largely self-taught, Mark honed the craft of winemaking through rigorous study and the welcomed advice of some of the area's most experienced producers. From the first vintage onward, Mark has been a champion of Washington wines and helped to establish Washington as a prominent U.S. wine region.
“I studied wine for years before I produced my first vintage. I was working as a wine distributor during the day and a server/bartender at night when I fell in love with the culture of wine. I started reading about wine making and hanging out with winemakers. This was back in the 90s when Washington State was still a young state – I was winery #465 when I registered. Washington now has well over 1,100 wineries.”
Why Viognier? “Why NOT viognier? The grape itself can handle all the heat. It’s what I like to drink. It has a nice floral richness, but has some great acidity and minerality, too. Unfortunately, it’s not very widely planted in Washington and we sell out very quickly.”
Mark Ryan’s 2023 viognier is sourced from two distinct sites in the Yakima Valley AVA: Red Willow vineyard on the far western edge of the AVA and Olsen vineyard on the far eastern edge, close to Red Mountain. The cooler climate and exceptional site at Red Willow produce wines that offer fantastic floral notes and citrus flavors. The warmer climate and south-facing slopes at Olsen produce wines with ripe melon and tropical fruit characteristics.
This wine aged for six months in 80% used French oak, 8% concrete egg, 7% stainless steel, and 5% new French oak. The used oak component offers great mouthfeel while preserving natural aromatics, the concrete delivers exceptional mouthfeel, like an oak barrel, with beautifully clean aromatics like stainless steel. Meanwhile, the stainless steel preserves the wine’s delicate aromatics and lends brightness to the flavors and the touch of new French oak adds subtle layers of sweet barrel spice with increased depth and texture on the palate. Prior to this aging, it was fermented dry over the course of three months at low temperatures to help preserve the elegant aromatics. During this time the wine is gently stirred to suspend the lees and improve the mouthfeel. When the winemaking team felt the time is right, malolactic fermentation was halted and the wine was gently fined and filtered.
