We have been making Viognier for more than a decade. Bill loves the body and flavors of this white wine varietal – and prefers to make it in a European style.
Our Viognier is crisp, dry and full bodied with a lingering finish of ripe fruit. To retain the purest expression of the grapes, the wine was fermented in stainless steel with no oak contact. Bill leaves the wine on lees for two months to achieve a slightly creamy mouthfeel. The color is pale straw with hints of green. Light, fragrant floral notes rise from the glass followed by citrus flowers and gardenia. Rich flavors of melon, lychee and guava are present immediately, while white stone fruit is more apparent on the palate as the wine opens. The round smooth body of the wine is accented by crisp acidity and a clean finish.
Specifications
Vintage: 2016
Appellation: Sonoma County
% Malolactic: 0
TA (g/100 ml): .54
pH: 3.53
Alcohol: 13.9%
Res Sugar(g/100ml): .02
Brix at Harvest: 23.4
Production: 130 cases
Silver Medal 2017 Sonoma-Marin Fair
Bronze Medal 2017 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
Vintage: 2017
Appellation: Sonoma County
% Malolactic: 0
TA (g/100 ml): .63
pH: 3.36
Alcohol: 14.3%
Res Sugar(g/100ml): .02
Brix at Harvest: 23.9
Production: 170 cases
Gold Medal 2018, North of the Gate Wine Competition
Winery: Arbios Cellars
Owners: Bill & Susan Arbios
Founded: 1993
Location: Sonoma County, CA
“Winemaking defines the essence of my life; transforming a challenge into a vision of elegance, grace and power.” - Bill Arbios
After a notable winemaking career with many prominent wineries, Bill Arbios fulfilled a longstanding dream of having his own label with the debut of Arbios Cellars in 1993. Arbios Cellars focuses on a single Bordeaux-style red wine, made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in the acclaimed Alexander Valley of Sonoma County.
Placing the emphasis on the terroir, Bill believes in honoring the character of the fruit without over-manipulating the wine. The resulting wines are ripe and intense with rich plum and cherry flavors and intriguing notes of olive and earth – a style that has been described as a cross between the new and old world.
Arbios Cellars’ production has grown from a mere 125 cases of the 1993 vintage to approximately 3000 cases today. The wine is available in major U.S. markets with distribution in numerous high-end restaurants and retail shops. In 2000, Bill launched a second label, Praxis, from the Greek word for practice. These wines, priced about half that of the Arbios label, allow Bill to experiment and practice his craft with new varietals and different terroirs. Although Bill made his reputation making Meritage blended wines, all of the Arbios and Praxis wines emphasize terroir with more than half made from a single vineyard.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016-17 Praxis Cellars Viognier - $25 = 17.85%
@hey_zeus@Winedavid49 We feel both of these wines are ready to go after a spell in the fridge, but both will last for a while too. I have a friend who prefers the older vintages of our Viognier. The 2017 will be a little crisper and brighter than the 2016. That said, both wines are crisp, clean & dry. Almost like an unoaked Chard with a little floral and stone fruit/tropical fruit notes.
@SARBIOS@Winedavid49 That’s great! Thank you and I will be pulling the trigger. It’s always a pleasure to get tidbits from the Winery, thank again and a toast to (wine glass in the air) Praxis Cellars!
@TimW The 2013 Charles Smith Viognier is at the end of it’s drinking window this year. Whereas the 2016 & 2017 Praxis should see through 2021 and 2022 respectively.
My CT notes at the time;
3/8/2017: Aging gracefully. Apricot, peach and lemon-lime palate with mineral notes and a dash of white pepper. Lighter than most Viogniers I’ve tried and less viscous. Showed best as it warmed from fridge temp to around 55° F.
Maybe someone will compare the taste/experience of this to the Charles Smith Viognier that was sold on Casemates earlier this year. Can someone, please? IIRC, the Charles Smith was oaked, but this one isn’t.
Just attended a Scott Harvey wine dinner at The Wooster Inn in Wooster, OH the other day and picked up a schedule for next year. I see that Bill & Susan Arbios will be in the house Saturday, February 8, 2019. Looking forward to it!
I’m excited about my first lab rat offering (it was the 2016 vintage).
After chilling in the refrigerator for a day, I let it come to room temperature for about a half an hour while I made dinner. On first taste, neither my husband nor I were impressed. We moved dinner outside (in the Southern heat!) to let it quickly warm up as we ate dinner. The heavy fruit flavors (I got guava followed by peach; my husband said he got more citrus and plum) held up very nicely against our spicy fish tacos. As our glasses warmed up outside , some bolder and clearer flavors emerged and we each really started to enjoy this wine.
I highly recommend this wine for an outdoor party. When it was super-cold, the flavors felt a little bit cheap and boring, and when it got warmer than I’d typically let a viognier get (which is actually pretty warm!) it really shone. My husband, who normally hates white wine, loved this and ended up finishing the bottle! Like other viogniers, this had complex flavors that red-drinkers will appreciate. Be warned, as it warmed up, it did get a little sweeter which may turn some off. The good news is, you can really control a lot of the flavors here with temperature.
@corrado@liz Hi Liz - I think it is a personal preference as to cellaring on this. Viognier does have more tannins than most white grapes so it appeals to people who mostly drink reds - and it will age for longer than many whites for the same reason. I am delighted to hear the 2010 was holding up nicely. Personally, I like it younger and brighter. As Bill says, it is kind of like bananas - some people eat them green and some people eat them really ripe.
@SARBIOS This is an odd question. I’m intrigued by the mini-vertical nature of this for use in a triangle-test for my beer judge & Cicerone study group. My plan has long been to “surprise” the group with a duo of wine instead of beer to acclimate them to being able to evaluate something foreign to their palates.
Are there suitable differences between the vintages for this to be a feasible test (assuming YES!) and are there any winery-generated tasting notes for each that could be used post-tasting to help job the group’s palates for the “non-beer things we tasted and didn’t know how to describe?”
@corrado I think you will find some subtle differences between the two bottles that might be fun to explore. Since the grapes are from the same vineyard and the winemaker is the same, the differences in the wines will reflect the weather of the two growing seasons and the extra year in bottle. I can email you the tasting notes for each vintage if you’d like. Or the 2016 is on our website (www.PraxisCellars.com) and the 2017 will be there in a month when we officially release that vintage.
@SARBIOS@TimW@winedavid49
I do hope non-performing rats are put on a not-again list akin to the backouts list.
CM and the producers go out of their way to not only provide a bottle, but generally to overnight ship it as well.
Unforgivable negulance of duty; well, sometimes there are shipping and notification issues, but one of four is p-poor.
/rant
@rjquillin@SARBIOS@TimW@Winedavid49 Just as a quick note about this – it might be helpful if labrats receive an email the morning of release indicating it’s time to post. I received the wine about a week ahead of time (awesome! Thank you!!!) so I had my stuff written up and ready to go for awhile, but by the time it posted, it wasn’t forefront in my mind. If I would have gotten a gentle reminder, my post would have been up in the first 8 hours of the deal posting.
I can’t speak for the labrats who didn’t post, obviously, but if this becomes a bigger issue, maybe an email is worth a shot. Because there’s nothing included in the box, maybe even a note in there saying “check the following days” would increase labrat participation. It’s probably not unheard of for folks to receive bottles of wine in the mail otherwise, so no indication that it’s a labrat offering may also be an issue.
In any event, it was fun to receive a bottle of wine to try out and think about and write about, so thank you! My husband’s disappointment with receiving a white, then excitement that it was a good viognier that was interesting enough for his palate was a valuable experience that will lead to less complaints when I buy wine here from now on!
I wrote that If I am ever lucky enough to be chosen as a rat, I would feel honored. I don’t understand how you cannot rat when presented with the amazing opportunity.
@danandlisa Sometimes people don’t get the bottle until after the sale has passed. Stuff like that. It happened from time to time on Woot, and often there was a reasonable explanation.
Tasting Notes
We have been making Viognier for more than a decade. Bill loves the body and flavors of this white wine varietal – and prefers to make it in a European style.
Our Viognier is crisp, dry and full bodied with a lingering finish of ripe fruit. To retain the purest expression of the grapes, the wine was fermented in stainless steel with no oak contact. Bill leaves the wine on lees for two months to achieve a slightly creamy mouthfeel. The color is pale straw with hints of green. Light, fragrant floral notes rise from the glass followed by citrus flowers and gardenia. Rich flavors of melon, lychee and guava are present immediately, while white stone fruit is more apparent on the palate as the wine opens. The round smooth body of the wine is accented by crisp acidity and a clean finish.
Specifications
Included In The Box
6-Bottles:
3x 2016 Praxis Viognier
3x 2017 Praxis Viognier
Case:
6x 2016 Praxis Viognier
6x 2017 Praxis Viognier
Price Comparison
$240.98/case at Arbios Cellars (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: Arbios Cellars
Owners: Bill & Susan Arbios
Founded: 1993
Location: Sonoma County, CA
“Winemaking defines the essence of my life; transforming a challenge into a vision of elegance, grace and power.” - Bill Arbios
After a notable winemaking career with many prominent wineries, Bill Arbios fulfilled a longstanding dream of having his own label with the debut of Arbios Cellars in 1993. Arbios Cellars focuses on a single Bordeaux-style red wine, made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in the acclaimed Alexander Valley of Sonoma County.
Placing the emphasis on the terroir, Bill believes in honoring the character of the fruit without over-manipulating the wine. The resulting wines are ripe and intense with rich plum and cherry flavors and intriguing notes of olive and earth – a style that has been described as a cross between the new and old world.
Arbios Cellars’ production has grown from a mere 125 cases of the 1993 vintage to approximately 3000 cases today. The wine is available in major U.S. markets with distribution in numerous high-end restaurants and retail shops. In 2000, Bill launched a second label, Praxis, from the Greek word for practice. These wines, priced about half that of the Arbios label, allow Bill to experiment and practice his craft with new varietals and different terroirs. Although Bill made his reputation making Meritage blended wines, all of the Arbios and Praxis wines emphasize terroir with more than half made from a single vineyard.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, June 4th - Thursday, June 7th
@SARBIOS is here answering questions and posting pictures.
(Click their username for recent activity.)
@liz shared their first ever Lab Rat Report.
Praxis Cellars Viognier
6 bottles for $69.99 $11.66/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $114.99 $9.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Praxis Cellars Viognier
2017 Praxis Cellars Viognier
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016-17 Praxis Cellars Viognier - $25 = 17.85%
I mean, listen: we talking about praxis
Among the most under appreciated long term Winery partners. Consistently out performs price. Also, Pedroncelli like in it’s fair QPR out of the shoot…
Good people too. Hi Susan!
@Winedavid49 Thank you!!
@SARBIOS @Winedavid49 My apologies for my ignorance but would the 2016 be an open and pour a few days after deliver (also the 2017?)?
@hey_zeus @Winedavid49 We feel both of these wines are ready to go after a spell in the fridge, but both will last for a while too. I have a friend who prefers the older vintages of our Viognier. The 2017 will be a little crisper and brighter than the 2016. That said, both wines are crisp, clean & dry. Almost like an unoaked Chard with a little floral and stone fruit/tropical fruit notes.
@SARBIOS @Winedavid49 That’s great! Thank you and I will be pulling the trigger. It’s always a pleasure to get tidbits from the Winery, thank again and a toast to (wine glass in the air) Praxis Cellars!
@hey_zeus Hi!
@MSUMike Wassup!?
@MSUMike Oh… I should get for the wife!? Didn’t quite get the ‘Hi!’…
@hey_zeus Yep. haha.
@MSUMike Gotcha. Waiting but will probably pull the trigger…
I guess my budget is safe today, since it’s not shippable to Michigan. It sounds like I’d like it, though.
Viognier grapes just before harvest 2017
@SARBIOS
/giphy Anti gravity grapes!
OK - 2nd try upside down - but you get the idea
Anyone in CT want to split a case?
@markgm sure
@apathy0
/giphy laughing-hostile-hen
Why arent these ratlab tested? Why haven’t I been volunteered to ratlab tested this?
Sent out a few bottles - hoping to hear their thoughts
@SARBIOS @WineDavid49 Yes - waiting on a rattage… Wouldn’t mind getting a case for the wife. Then I can get more reds for me later on.
Still sitting on 3/4 case of the Charles Smith Viognier.
@billmort would like to hear a comparison of the 2.
@TimW The 2013 Charles Smith Viognier is at the end of it’s drinking window this year. Whereas the 2016 & 2017 Praxis should see through 2021 and 2022 respectively.
@billmort @TimW
FWIW, I had a 2010 Praxis Viognier last year and it was still drinking well.
My CT notes at the time;
3/8/2017: Aging gracefully. Apricot, peach and lemon-lime palate with mineral notes and a dash of white pepper. Lighter than most Viogniers I’ve tried and less viscous. Showed best as it warmed from fridge temp to around 55° F.
@billmort @chipgreen @TimW fun to hear your review - I have not had that one in ages!
Maybe someone will compare the taste/experience of this to the Charles Smith Viognier that was sold on Casemates earlier this year. Can someone, please?
IIRC, the Charles Smith was oaked, but this one isn’t.
@TimW I don’t know the CS Vio specifically, but I find that sometimes oak can mask the varietal characteristics of the Viognier grape.
/giphy fatherly miserable wrench
That’s a classic scene
I can’t speak to this offering, but I had some of the Praxis Merlot from a previous incarnation, and really enjoyed it, for whatever that is worth.
@cbrehman Delighted to hear it!
Trying to entice the rats to come out.
Just attended a Scott Harvey wine dinner at The Wooster Inn in Wooster, OH the other day and picked up a schedule for next year. I see that Bill & Susan Arbios will be in the house Saturday, February 8, 2019. Looking forward to it!
@chipgreen Woohoo!!! Same here!
Maybe this will help also… For the labs rats!
I’d love a rat-report; this is smelling like my first case-buy (and possibly all for myself)!
Anyone in Buffalo want to split?
@lamplighter, yup, I’ll split a case with you
I’m excited about my first lab rat offering (it was the 2016 vintage).
After chilling in the refrigerator for a day, I let it come to room temperature for about a half an hour while I made dinner. On first taste, neither my husband nor I were impressed. We moved dinner outside (in the Southern heat!) to let it quickly warm up as we ate dinner. The heavy fruit flavors (I got guava followed by peach; my husband said he got more citrus and plum) held up very nicely against our spicy fish tacos. As our glasses warmed up outside , some bolder and clearer flavors emerged and we each really started to enjoy this wine.
I highly recommend this wine for an outdoor party. When it was super-cold, the flavors felt a little bit cheap and boring, and when it got warmer than I’d typically let a viognier get (which is actually pretty warm!) it really shone. My husband, who normally hates white wine, loved this and ended up finishing the bottle! Like other viogniers, this had complex flavors that red-drinkers will appreciate. Be warned, as it warmed up, it did get a little sweeter which may turn some off. The good news is, you can really control a lot of the flavors here with temperature.
@liz Thanks for the report. I’m hoping @SARBIOS can offer some advice on if previous vintages showed a benefit from cellaring.
@corrado @liz Hi Liz - I think it is a personal preference as to cellaring on this. Viognier does have more tannins than most white grapes so it appeals to people who mostly drink reds - and it will age for longer than many whites for the same reason. I am delighted to hear the 2010 was holding up nicely. Personally, I like it younger and brighter. As Bill says, it is kind of like bananas - some people eat them green and some people eat them really ripe.
@SARBIOS This is an odd question. I’m intrigued by the mini-vertical nature of this for use in a triangle-test for my beer judge & Cicerone study group. My plan has long been to “surprise” the group with a duo of wine instead of beer to acclimate them to being able to evaluate something foreign to their palates.
Are there suitable differences between the vintages for this to be a feasible test (assuming YES!) and are there any winery-generated tasting notes for each that could be used post-tasting to help job the group’s palates for the “non-beer things we tasted and didn’t know how to describe?”
@corrado I think you will find some subtle differences between the two bottles that might be fun to explore. Since the grapes are from the same vineyard and the winemaker is the same, the differences in the wines will reflect the weather of the two growing seasons and the extra year in bottle. I can email you the tasting notes for each vintage if you’d like. Or the 2016 is on our website (www.PraxisCellars.com) and the 2017 will be there in a month when we officially release that vintage.
@SARBIOS Excellent! Thanks! In for a case!
@corrado Thank you!! Enjoy. Susan@ArbiosCellars.com for tech sheets, etc.
/giphy unassuming-full-money
We’re Viognier fans- so looking forward to giving the Praxis some space (which we have none- I think we may expand to under the pool table soon)
/giphy mellow-jubilant-baseball
Was hoping for another lab rat report, but what the heck…in for 6 right before the deals gone.
/giphy blissful-lagging-curtain
@TimW Me too…one of 4 rats in. Thanks for trying it!
@SARBIOS @TimW @winedavid49
I do hope non-performing rats are put on a not-again list akin to the backouts list.
CM and the producers go out of their way to not only provide a bottle, but generally to overnight ship it as well.
Unforgivable negulance of duty; well, sometimes there are shipping and notification issues, but one of four is p-poor.
/rant
@rjquillin @SARBIOS @TimW @Winedavid49 Yes this all of this
@jml326 @rjquillin @SARBIOS @TimW @Winedavid49
@danandlisa ?
@rjquillin @SARBIOS @TimW @Winedavid49 Just as a quick note about this – it might be helpful if labrats receive an email the morning of release indicating it’s time to post. I received the wine about a week ahead of time (awesome! Thank you!!!) so I had my stuff written up and ready to go for awhile, but by the time it posted, it wasn’t forefront in my mind. If I would have gotten a gentle reminder, my post would have been up in the first 8 hours of the deal posting.
I can’t speak for the labrats who didn’t post, obviously, but if this becomes a bigger issue, maybe an email is worth a shot. Because there’s nothing included in the box, maybe even a note in there saying “check the following days” would increase labrat participation. It’s probably not unheard of for folks to receive bottles of wine in the mail otherwise, so no indication that it’s a labrat offering may also be an issue.
In any event, it was fun to receive a bottle of wine to try out and think about and write about, so thank you! My husband’s disappointment with receiving a white, then excitement that it was a good viognier that was interesting enough for his palate was a valuable experience that will lead to less complaints when I buy wine here from now on!
@liz @rjquillin @TimW @Winedavid49 great idea - glad you liked the wine
Thank you all. Hope you enjoy the wine!
No Georgia…meh…(I mean casemates)…
I agree. If I was chosen, I would consider it an honor to be a lab rat. How can you not report? I just do not understand.
Short of being out of town for receiving, I don’t think there’s much reason. And I’m not thinking non-reporters get much opportunity for a re-do.
I wrote that If I am ever lucky enough to be chosen as a rat, I would feel honored. I don’t understand how you cannot rat when presented with the amazing opportunity.
@danandlisa Sometimes people don’t get the bottle until after the sale has passed. Stuff like that. It happened from time to time on Woot, and often there was a reasonable explanation.
I hope that is the case. Thanks.