Jean-Baptiste Souillard Viognier 2020

Jean-Baptiste Souillard Viognier is a deliberately restrained, early-picked take on a grape usually made in the opposite direction.

The fruit comes from the same Ardèche grower who supplies Souillard’s Roussanne, from a cool site where the altitude and the poor, granite-laced soils slow ripening. Viognier is easily made blowsy: picked late it gives high alcohol, low acid and an overwhelming aromatic profile. Souillard’s answer is to harvest it early, at the same time as the Saint-Joseph, and the fruit for this bottling came in on 10 September. Old vines, precise picking and unfussy vinification do the rest. The wine was raised in neutral old oak for twelve to fifteen months, which builds texture without adding flavour and keeps the fruit intact. What emerges is linear and refreshing, with the grape’s stone-fruit character present but held in check by acidity — closer in shape to a serious white Burgundy than to the perfumed style the variety is usually associated with.

Drinking now and good for three or four years. Serve at 10-12°C with roast pork, grilled chicken or a mild curry.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.