Aromas of tangerine and orange peel on the nose are accented by notes of apricot, vanilla, honeysuckle and violets. Citrus flavors continue on the palate, joined by wild honey and white peach. The mid-palate has the weight and polish that is characteristic of classic Viognier, with crisp acidity showing on the long, pleasant finish.
Known for its floral aromatics and silky creaminess, Viognier is a food-friendly wine that evokes the tropics. Grown at higher elevations, the fruit thrives in the cooler climate. This is a classic Rhône-style Viognier from two vineyards in Oregon’s southern Rogue Valley: Fortmiller (52%) and Sundown (48%).
Vintage Notes
2015 was the earliest harvest in King Estate history. A dry, mild winter led to early bud break in mid- to late March, about two weeks ahead of normal. With minimal frost damage to worry about during winter, there was an abundance of fruit set by early June. Warm temperatures throughout spring and summer kept the vines ahead of their seasonal average maturation. A slight reprieve from the heat arrived around harvest and helped to preserve acidity and allowed for optimal flavor development. The fruit benefited from extended hang time and came in perfectly ripe.
Winemaking Notes
The wine was fermented 25% in barrels and 75% in stainless steel before aging sur lie for five months. The barrel lot was aged in new French oak.
Specs
Vintage: 2015
Varietal: 100% Viognier
Appellation: Oregon
Vineyards: Fortmiller Vineyard (52%) and Sundown Vineyard (48%)
When King Estate Winery was established in 1991, it staked its future on three pillars: Stewardship. Family. Tradition. Those pillars have proved a solid and true foundation for the winery that today produces some of Oregon’s most recognizable and best-loved wines.
Co-founders Ed King III and his father, the late Ed King, Jr., had a vision for the 600-acre parcel of land they discovered in the southern Willamette Valley that was used to grow hay and pasture cattle. Over the years that parcel has evolved into one of Oregon’s most recognizable and iconic vineyards with 1,033 acres on the certified Biodynamic® estate.
Three generations of the King family are involved in the family business, continuing the old-world traditions of sustainable agriculture and artisan winemaking. Meticulous fruit selection and impeccable practices are hallmarks of winemaking at King Estate.
The pure taste of Oregon can be found in every bottle.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2015 King Estate Oregon Viognier - $40 = 30.76%
This one is intriguing to me. Here and here are comments from recent offerings. I have no need for it, but I feel like I’m probably going to end up buying this one.
We got this last time, at the end of 2020, same pricing. Quite nice, drinkable, good but not great, classic Viognier flavors with a little imbalance - at $7.50 a bottle it’s a pretty good buy, and we’ll probably go again.
@cs85b03 Unfortunately it’s been a theme in Ohio for a long time. Historically, Ohio’s had laws that prohibited direct to consumer shipments from large producers like King Estate that cut us out of a lot of good juice. The law changed effective 9/30/21 to allow producers of any size to ship DtC to Ohio. Hopefully the King Estates and Gruets and others of the large production variety are sending in their apps for Ohio shipping licenses. King Estate is good stuff, for sure, and a bummer we can’t get it yet. Hoping that changes soon.
After seeing a number of phenomenal red offerings over the last few weeks I was mildly disappointed to “only” get bottle of Viognier when I opened up our mystery box. But as busy as we were this week with family activities this was probably a better pairing.
We cracked the stelvin and poured straight from the fridge, a little too cool for optimal flavor so I poured into stemless glasses and we swirled and gave it a moment to warm a little . The wine was a pale straw color with a muted but pleasing floral bouquet.
At first sip my wife got peach/pear notes. I thought maybe honeysuckle. We both tasted vanilla and oak (but just a little oak). This viognier has a very creamy mouthfeel. (Possibly MLF? But it was not at all buttery.) My wife said “This is nice I would drink it again.”
Scarfing down a piece of Costco thin crust pepperoni pizza (again, busy week!) I sipped again. The crisp acidity cut nicely through the rich tomato and fats. The creamy middle held up. And there was a slight bitterness as it trailed off.
A couple of hours later we came back to resume tasting. Still good. Finished it all too quickly. Verdict: crisp and dry but not tart. The dryness seemed well balanced by the creaminess. Drink with food (cheese / charcuterie or any meal) or sitting in front of a fire. Don’t drink in the summer heat on your back porch.
Addendum: nice price point. My wife has given the green light. Poking through some of the previous offers, I see some concerns about the age, and suggestions that it is sweet. This does not seem past its prime, but I would not buy to cellar. Nor is it sweet (and neither of us like sweet wines so I think we’d be sensitive to that).
I was out of town on business for this rattage so I asked my wife and my brother to collaborate and share impressions. Funny enough, when they got it we knew that we’ve been drinking this for the past year, as we bought 2 cases of this about a year ago when it was last offered, and we’ve been enjoying it since, almost out. We pair it with sautéed shrimp, Salmon with Bourbon maple sauce, and seared Mahi-mahi. Great value! Not to dry, not too sweet. Mineral tones. Their impressions are below:
Aspect: Champagne color, high clarity, moderate oil content
Bouquet: delicate notes of sweet apple, plum and mature woods
The taste starts with an explosion of complex buttery flavors, neither too dry nor too sweet, but a balanced mildly fruity and honeyed
Finish: savory and sweet smoky
Thank you Alice and WCC/Casemates for the opportunity!!
I would enjoy three or four bottles from a case (at the $7.50 per bottle price) if anyone in greater Boston wants to share. Say within 40 minutes of the 9/128 intersection with weekend traffic.
So if you want eight or nine bottles, order a case and I will take the other three or four.
2015 King Estate Viognier, Oregon
Tasting Notes
Vintage Notes
Winemaking Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $240/case MSRP
About The Winery
King Estate Video Link
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 15 - Friday, Nov 19
King Estate Oregon Viognier
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $89.99 $7.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2015 King Estate Viognier
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2015 King Estate Oregon Viognier - $40 = 30.76%
Welp, that was easy. Loved the last offering!
This one is intriguing to me. Here and here are comments from recent offerings. I have no need for it, but I feel like I’m probably going to end up buying this one.
We got this last time, at the end of 2020, same pricing. Quite nice, drinkable, good but not great, classic Viognier flavors with a little imbalance - at $7.50 a bottle it’s a pretty good buy, and we’ll probably go again.
And so we did.
/giphy blessed-used-bit
Go figure, won’t ship to Connecticut!
I feel like this no Ohio shipping is beginning to become a theme…
@cs85b03 Unfortunately it’s been a theme in Ohio for a long time. Historically, Ohio’s had laws that prohibited direct to consumer shipments from large producers like King Estate that cut us out of a lot of good juice. The law changed effective 9/30/21 to allow producers of any size to ship DtC to Ohio. Hopefully the King Estates and Gruets and others of the large production variety are sending in their apps for Ohio shipping licenses. King Estate is good stuff, for sure, and a bummer we can’t get it yet. Hoping that changes soon.
2015?
I’m out.
After seeing a number of phenomenal red offerings over the last few weeks I was mildly disappointed to “only” get bottle of Viognier when I opened up our mystery box. But as busy as we were this week with family activities this was probably a better pairing.
We cracked the stelvin and poured straight from the fridge, a little too cool for optimal flavor so I poured into stemless glasses and we swirled and gave it a moment to warm a little . The wine was a pale straw color with a muted but pleasing floral bouquet.
At first sip my wife got peach/pear notes. I thought maybe honeysuckle. We both tasted vanilla and oak (but just a little oak). This viognier has a very creamy mouthfeel. (Possibly MLF? But it was not at all buttery.) My wife said “This is nice I would drink it again.”
Scarfing down a piece of Costco thin crust pepperoni pizza (again, busy week!) I sipped again. The crisp acidity cut nicely through the rich tomato and fats. The creamy middle held up. And there was a slight bitterness as it trailed off.
A couple of hours later we came back to resume tasting. Still good. Finished it all too quickly. Verdict: crisp and dry but not tart. The dryness seemed well balanced by the creaminess. Drink with food (cheese / charcuterie or any meal) or sitting in front of a fire. Don’t drink in the summer heat on your back porch.
Addendum: nice price point. My wife has given the green light. Poking through some of the previous offers, I see some concerns about the age, and suggestions that it is sweet. This does not seem past its prime, but I would not buy to cellar. Nor is it sweet (and neither of us like sweet wines so I think we’d be sensitive to that).
@eburke Thank you for the rattage. And that Costco thin crust sounded pretty tasty too.
Liked the last one, picking up a case to serve at some holiday gatherings at this price point. Thanks.
Hello All,
I was out of town on business for this rattage so I asked my wife and my brother to collaborate and share impressions. Funny enough, when they got it we knew that we’ve been drinking this for the past year, as we bought 2 cases of this about a year ago when it was last offered, and we’ve been enjoying it since, almost out. We pair it with sautéed shrimp, Salmon with Bourbon maple sauce, and seared Mahi-mahi. Great value! Not to dry, not too sweet. Mineral tones. Their impressions are below:
Aspect: Champagne color, high clarity, moderate oil content
Bouquet: delicate notes of sweet apple, plum and mature woods
The taste starts with an explosion of complex buttery flavors, neither too dry nor too sweet, but a balanced mildly fruity and honeyed
Finish: savory and sweet smoky
Thank you Alice and WCC/Casemates for the opportunity!!
I would enjoy three or four bottles from a case (at the $7.50 per bottle price) if anyone in greater Boston wants to share. Say within 40 minutes of the 9/128 intersection with weekend traffic.
So if you want eight or nine bottles, order a case and I will take the other three or four.