2018 NOTES Santa Ynez Valley Viognier

WINE NOTES

NAME:

Notes

VARIETAL:

Viognier

APPELLATION:

Santa Ynez Valley,

Santa Barbara County

VINTAGE:

2018

Firstly, I will ask you to trust me on this and drink this wine. It is one of the finest white wines we have ever tasted thus far (yep, we’re putting that out there.). If you are not familiar with Viognier, allow me to introduce you to what will probably be your next long and endearing love affair… especially when it comes to wine + food pairings.

The best way to describe this wine… it is for those that like to stop and smell the flowers.

Originating in Southern France, this full-bodied varietal is deeply admired for its absolutely stunning aromatics and flavors. Your wine was born in Santa Barbara County where the climate mimics Southern France with fog-filled cool mornings funneled in from the chilly Pacific Ocean currents, and warm SoCal sun drenched days. It is more than at home here.

Pop the cork, pour a glass, close your eyes and take in the white floral notes integrated with tropical ripe papaya, honeysuckle and just a hint of tangerine. I mean, wow. It has a really beautiful, complex and stunning nose.

The taste carries these beautifully bright fruits forward with an elegance only found in a luxury wine such as this. Right away think honey and ripe apricot, and as you let it sit on your palate for a moment, you will start to experience mandarin orange and tangerine. Truly special.

This wine… so rich and elegant with such bright fruit tones… is a food-pairing dream. Try it with anything that has a spicy edge, especially a variety of Asian foods like Thai, Chinese, Burmese and especially sushi. And of course, any tropical fruit-based dessert will be a pairing that will blow your mind and forever make you a Viognier believer.

Geeky wine notes, I know… but this is one of those wines that transcends, and I had to express how special it is.

Cheers - Eric 🍷

ARTWORK & DESIGN

Label Design By Mindi Abair

I recall when I took my first sip of this very special wine, and I think you will too, given its incredibly unique and captivating taste. There were so many thoughts that came to my mind… elegant, smart, bright, uplifting and complex. As I sat there thinking about the style of music that would pair perfectly with this incredible of a wine, it took some serious thought. What would have complex yet seemingly easy to grasp melodic textures, ornate sensibility in delivery and those short, high tones that feel like you’re touching a cloud?

Then it finally came to me… Baroque music, of course.

We all learn about various styles of music in different ways. I learned about Baroque music as I started taking piano lessons when I was 5 years old. One of my first books was the Bach 2-Part Inventions For Piano. I loved them, and I still pull out that book now and then to play them. They’re thoughtful, beautiful, and there is so much melodic structure and beautiful melodic interplay.

The Baroque period is when the orchestra was born, opera kicked off in a big way and the concerto gave soloists the chance to properly show off. From the period's beginnings in the early 1600s to when the Classical period style began to take over in the mid 1700s, the hallmarks of Baroque music remained distinct - full of order, ornate and increasingly emotive as the period went on. And, if you’re wondering if you might know any of the composers that were well known during this period… you do. Bach, Vivaldi and Handel were luminaries of the Baroque style.

This wine label was a very fun design project for me, as I sat in front of the computer and placed every note you see on the label, one by one. I wanted to create the feeling that music was emanating from the wine bottle, into the air and dancing around as you listen to the playlist in the background…the complete wine + music experience! And if you look hard, you’ll notice that the ‘O’ in NOTES is a whole note, tying in the visual of the musical note into the title of the wine. I chose a beautiful rose gold foil for the name of the wine, NOTES. I’ve always thought rose gold was so alluring and beautiful. It fit with the holidays, the music, and I think it looks stunning on the bottle.

Mindi 🎶

MUSIC

Though there were many composers during this period of time, not many were as significant as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell and Claudio Monteverdi.

Click the first song and get ready as Yo-Yo Ma glides across that first string and immediately reaches into your heart and gives you chills.

CLICK BELOW TO LAUNCH SPOTIFY AND LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST