Viognier Day 2026
The final Friday in April is designated Viognier Day by organizers Yalumba in Australia. In 2026, Sue and I paired Viognier from France with seared scallops with beurre rouge in advance, then I opened and shared one from Yalumba plus wines from Regenerative Organic Certified Le Cuvier as well as enjoying a glass of Eberle at Sensorio in Paso Robles the night before.
Le Cuvier Viognier— 2013 and 2020
For Viognier Day today, I had the amazing opportunity to taste two vintages from Regenerative Organic Alliance certified winery Le Cuvier ~ a 2013 and a 2020— and to bring them to a beach BBQ to share with friends.
The 2013 is a library wine— how special to taste a Viognier with 13 years of age! Still fresh and floral with abundant honeysuckle and bee pollen as well as excellent balanced acidity and a lovely round mouthfeel. I opened them at the bar where we stayed — the brand new Ava Hotel’s Pine Street Bistro. Le Cuvier’s wines — white and red— are made using wild yeast — yeast that comes from the grapes themselves so super expressive of place. They also extend the contact of the juice with skins which is typical with reds but less so with whites. However, extended skin contact for white grapes is becoming more well known with the increased popularity of “orange” wines. The 2020 was more herbal and I’d love to pair it with roast chicken with lots of herbs. It was fun at a beach BBQ to share these wines and their ROC story with my friends, and to explain to them the significance of wild yeast and “orange” wines.
More to come about this winery— and the incredible food and wine pairing experience we had Le Cuvier yesterday!
Paso Eberle Viognier at Sensorio, an immersive light and sound experience in the hills just east of Paso Robles
While in Paso Robles on an Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) focused media trip, we went to the immersive light experience Sensorio— where I found an Eberle Viognier by the glass, which I enjoyed while walking the grounds through the installations.
Back in France, the Chambeyron family has been farming tobacco, apricots, cherries and grapes in the Northern Rhône since 1895— long before these wineries in Paso Robles!
Viognier
Menu
- Charcuterie:
Truffle Mousse Pate
French Brie - Baguette
- Wild Rice
- Asparagus
- Green Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
- Scallops with Buerre Rouge
2017 Domaine Chambeyron “Vernon” Condrieu
ABV: 15%
SRP: $40; purchased at the Wine House LA on sale for $30
Grapes: Viognier
Bernard Chambeyron is a distant cousin to the Chambeyron-Manin estate which means he has access to prime parcels of La Chavaroche and Lancement vineyards in Côte-Rôtie and Vernon of Condreiu. After the phylloxera epidemic hit France in the late 19th century, Bernard’s great grandfather, Jean-Marie Chambeyron planted new vines in Côte-Rôtie and Bernard’s uncle, Marius Chambeyron began bottling his own Côte-Rôtie in the 1970s, while his father, Maurice grew apricots and cherries. Bernard grew tobacco as it is more resistant to hail and rot, but in 1977 he planted grapes for Côtes-du-Rhône production and Viognier on the north side of Vernon in 1985 on .7 acres.
Today Bernard’s son Mathieu Chambeyron makes the wines, and according to the importer, Viognier from Vernon is known for “unparalleled intensity and energy, one of the top three sites for Viognier in the world, trademarked by its mica-sifted “arzelle” soils. Chambeyron’s expression is made from destemmed clusters, fermented in steel and enamel-lined concrete. The aging takes place in a trio of vessels: steel, enamel-lined concrete and 30 year-old barriques. Our cuvée was bottled in the fall of 2018 and then allowed to rest in bottle for five months before shipping. Chambeyron’s Vernon shimmers with gold, sea-green and yellow. The high-volume aromatics of fresh and dried apricot, lavender and lemongrass roll seamlessly into a palate balanced by crushed stone and a confit of lemon-lime. This is a rock-star pairing for things with a shell, creamy sauces, Middle Eastern and Indian spices.”
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Appearance: Dark yellow, very bright for its age, platinum rim
Aroma: Orange peel, honeysuckle, baking spices, sage, pollen, meadow, petrol, tarragon,
Palate: Slick, viscous mouthfeel, peach pie, wildflower honey, candied orange peel, ginger, jasmine, tarragon, white pepper,
Pairing: No surprise here but this wine is fabulous with the brie and pate, the wine breaks through the rich creaminess with the acidity, yet creaminess meets creaminess with both the chest and the wine, the pate and the wine both have lovely richness that go so well together, the wine is very sweet and flavorful with the meal, both the scallops and the wine are so rich and flavorsome together, some say asparagus is a difficult pairing with wine, but not in this case, the crunchy fennel in the salad is accents that particular flavor profile in the wine.
UPDATE:
Le Cuvier viognier
Back home following the Paso Robles Regenerative Organic Certified press trip, I went to our local Fisherman’s Market and bought fresh SB spot prawns and ridgeback shrimp. That night, I prepared them in butter, oil, garlic and a little viognier on a bed of preserved lemon pasta paired with Le Cuvier Winery 2013 and 2020 Orange aka extended skin contact Viognier which I had opened in Paso Robles on Thursday night in advance of Friday’s Viognier Day. I was unsure how it would pair but wow! And look at that gorgeous color!
I really enjoyed this different take on Viognier and for those who may not be keen on orange style wines you should try this one! Plus it’s a Regenerative Organic Alliance certified winery. Given the opportunity, definitely visit their property just out of town but with magnificent views. I’ll post about our pairing experience with their wines soon! Thanks to our hosts, especially Clay and Mika Selkirk!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 