2006 McCrea Cellars Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Viognier 375ml
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McCrea Cellars holds a singular place in Washington wine history as the state's first winery devoted entirely to Rhône varieties. Founded by Doug McCrea, the small cellar built its name on Syrah, Viognier, Roussanne, and Grenache long before those grapes were fashionable in the Northwest, and its bottlings remain touchstones for collectors who follow the pioneering era of American Rhône winemaking. The winery's run stretched from the late 1980s into the 2010s, and surviving bottles now serve as a reference library for how Washington Rhône whites age.
The fruit here comes from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain, one of Washington's most celebrated sites and among the first in the state to plant Viognier. The name translates as "horse's heaven," and the vineyard's arid slopes, intense desert sunlight, and lean, gravelly soils produce aromatic whites of unusual concentration, cut, and definition even in warm vintages.
Two decades in bottle have transformed this wine, and it should be approached as a fully aged white. Expect a deep gold color shading toward amber at the rim, with youthful apricot and honeysuckle long since evolved into honeyed dried stone fruit, beeswax, chamomile, and candied orange peel. The texture is broad and lanolin-rich, the acidity soft, the finish gently nutty and warm. Every bottle this old varies a little, which is part of the charm.
For drinkers who appreciate maturity in Viognier, the 375ml half bottle is the ideal format for the experience: one sitting, no leftovers, full attention. Serve it cool rather than ice-cold so the tertiary aromatics can unfold in the glass, and pair it with roast chicken and apricot glaze, aged Comté, or seared scallops. Open it on arrival; there is nothing to gain by waiting.
- Size: 375ml
- ABV: ABV varies
- Vintage: 2006
- Origin: Red Mountain AVA, Washington State
- Winery: McCrea Cellars
- Grape/Blend: Viognier
- Vineyard: Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
- Tasting Notes: Deep gold; honeyed apricot, beeswax, chamomile, candied orange peel
- Drink Window: Fully mature—drink now
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