2008 La Marouette Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc

In San Francisco yesterday I stopped in at a little grocery on Geary St. that specializes in organic foods. They have an impressive organic wine selection. I bought a bottle of Viognier from the south of France--not so much because it was organic but because I like Viognier when it's not heavy and overdone, as it too often is. The label the store had on the rack next to this offering touted it as precisely the opposite, so I bought a bottle. Tonight I tried the wine. Brief tasting notes follow.

A pretty, medium straw color. Toasted grain on the nose. None of the strong peach scent common in Viognier. Something a little musky. Similar on the palate. Seems quite restrained for a Viognier. Not a lot of overt fruit. Quite dry at first. Low in acidity. From the mid-palate begins to seem a little weightier, with some fruity sweetness, but the fruit remains subdued. Good texture, though. Not at all wimpy. If this wine were a person, it would be a quiet but self-assured intellectual--the sort of person that needs to be drawn out, but that has an affable side, if you can get to it. Hints of passion fruit develop with a little time. Good finish with lingering flavors suggesting vanilla and cherimoya. Although I would have liked a little more acidity to balance things, I enjoyed this wine. $10.99 at Thom's Natural Foods (5843 Geary), San Francisco.