2023 Flanagan Wines, Viognier, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County.
This 2023 Flanagan Bennett Valley Viognier is absolutely stunning in the glass with crystalline purity, mineral intensity, textured form and beautiful aromatics with a seductive layering of apricot, gooseberry, lemony citrus and subtle tropical fruits, along with bitter almonds, honeysuckle, orange blossom, wet stone and soft wood creaminess. This was a hugely pleasant surprise on a recent trip to wine country and stumbled across this very limited wine at the Napa Valley Vintner’s Collective, which hosts some small family wineries and rare labels, with Flanagan being one of the featured producers. I had not had their Viognier before and wow, this vintage is a beauty, showing off steely precision, zesty acidity and deep richness in a wine that clearly takes its inspiration from Condrieu, the holy grail of Viognier, in the northern Rhône. Flanagan’s original vineyard, planted to Syrah and just a tiny bit of Viognier, in Bennett Valley, which, sits up at close to 1,200 feet of elevation on the southwest facing slopes of Bennett Mountain in Sonoma County has meager rocky soils and with volcanic cobbles with excellent drainage. The Flanagan Viognier is rarity with only about 5 barrels made, but not particularly cheap, on the upper end for this varietal in California, though that said, not many versions get this good and Viognier fans will find it wonderfully rewarding stuff.
For the Flanagan Viognier, the winery says that the fermentation was done in neutral barrels which they add is more directed at texture development than at an oak flavor profile, after which it was then aged in Atelier and Millarf French oak barrels with a light toast with 40% new wood used. The Bennett Valley, tucked west of Sonoma Mountain, is a cool climate Sonoma terroir that benefits from ocean breezes from the Petaluma Gap, San Pablo Bay to the south, as well as Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean to the west, but with a sunny exposure that perfectly ripens Rhone and Loire varietals, especially well suited in this case Viognier that has brilliant mineral tones and fresh acidity. The 2023 vintage which was exceptionally cool, saw the grapes get extra hang time, allowing for ripe intensity, but lower alcohol levels, all helping this Viognier shine and show off its best character. Flanagan, which does some exciting single vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and a Bennett Valley Syrah, as well as a set of Bordeaux style wines, is definitely a winery to check out. I am excited to try some more of the collection here, my previous experiences with Flanagan had been positive, but limited to their Syrah. The Viognier, from the 2023 vintage, really is a home run, sublimely balanced and a tasty expression of this varietal, and with only about 124 cases available it be a bit harder to find.
($65 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive