Thursday, April 24, 2014

The United Grapes of America - Georgia - Butterducks Estate Winery Viognier

Georgia has a burgeoning wine culture with most of the wineries situated northeast of Atlanta. One exception is Butterducks Estate Winery ($17), located in the northeast corner west of Savannah. See theCompass profile on the right.The winery just celebrated their 8th anniversary and based on their location and wine list, I would guess that they grow muscadine grapes and perhaps blueberries and blackberries. They also produce a selection of Georgia vinifera with one of these being a Viognier. I was able to procure a bottle at Coastal Spirits - in Peeler - just a mile of Rt 95.

The United Grapes of America
StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America
The Viognier grapes were sourced from Blackstock Vineyards in Dahlonega. The wine has a sweet honey-sickle aroma; the flavor, creamy with hints of apricot and finishes with decent acidity and some sugar. Seems very close to a Viognier profile and I found it very likeable.  The one issue is the slight sugary finish at 2.5% R.S.. Otherwise a very nice wine. Cheers.

2 comments:

Wendy said...

I visited Butterducks just a few weeks ago. The folks there give one of the most warm and welcoming tastings I've ever experienced, especially for the casual consumer. Their Viognier was quite enjoyable, and maybe it was the sweeter taste than in most of the Virginia Viogniers that I usually buy.

WineCompass said...

Thanks for the comment Wendy. Looking forward to visiting one day. Cheers