Review of Brennan Vineyards Viognier 2013

We received the product for review and all opinions are our own.

Texas summer has arrived and as the sweltering heat continues through the next several months, the wine lovers of Texas will be looking to dry rosé and crisp white wines to enjoy on the patio to try and cool down. As probably the most popular white grape in Texas right now, Viognier will definitely do the trick. I can picture it now…laying on a float, soaking wet from the cool and refreshing swimming pool, with a nice glass of Viognier in hand to keep the body temp down and the morale up. Ah, don’t you just love summertime in Texas?

Brennan Vineyards, who under the careful hands of winemaker Todd Webster, produces some really great wines. From Cabernet Sauvignon and Super Nero, to gorgeous and aromatic thirst quenching Viognier, they have a wide selection of terroir driven wines to choose from. If you cannot make it out to the winery, you can also find their wines at 4.0 Cellars on Wine Road 290, as well as Specs and other retailers across the state. This brings me to the wine currently up for review, a 2013 vintage Viognier from Brennan. As some of us are aware, 2013 was a total disaster and a costly loss to our local wine industry thanks to the late spring frosts. Many wineries chose to source fruit from outside our state lines to keep going, and the same rings true for this wine, as it is a California grown / Brennan made white wine.

Once the quality cork is popped out, the wine pours into the glass a pale gold. The nose is chock full of stone fruits, pineapple, citrus, and honeysuckle. The palate is very different from the complex nose, and offers lesser complex notes and more citrus components than anything else. Lemons, lemon rinds, and grapefruit dominate the palate, providing a very crisp mouthfeel with ample acidity. Although this wine is very well made, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, there is just something missing from the equation—the telltale white flowers on the nose that Texas grown Viognier seems to really offer. This is not a knock on Brennan, merely my biased feeling toward Texas grown Viognier, and how I truly feel it is the best in the world. The Rhône may have earthy Syrah, and California their King Kong Cabs, but Texas can produce better state grown Viognier than the entire world. Of course, this is just my personal feeling on the matter.

Specifications:

• Brennan Vineyards Viognier, 2013 vintage
• Winemaker: Todd Webster
• Appellation: American – California grown and produced/fermented in Comanche, TX
• Grape Varieties: Viognier
• Barrels: N/A
• Clarity/brightness: Clear/bright, with no detectable flaws and no evidence of gas or sediment
• Tannins: N/A
• Acidity: High
• Alcohol: Medium
• Finish: Medium Plus
• Alcohol by volume: 13.5%
• Cases produced: 215

This wine fits the bill for a quality and easy drinking Viognier. It’s a solid wine that can be enjoyed with great friends over for dinner, or on its own out by the swimming pool. The complex nose makes it really fun to swirl and sniff!

Sip, savor, and enjoy my fellow aficionados.