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More wines available from Mark Ryan
750ml
Bottle:
$27.24
Aromatically dense, the 2012 ‘Chief’ showcases outstanding complexity, with aromas of redcurrant, cigar box and...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.48
The aromas offer notes of plum, orange rind, coffee, dark cherry and plentiful dried herb. Plump, pleasurable, soft,...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.04
$15.83
The Vincent White offers aromas of bright apple, kiwi, and stone fruit. The palate brings acidity and bright citrus...
750ml
Bottle:
$88.79
One sip and you, much like the fellows in Yes, will want to be the owner of a Lonely Heart. This superb 100% Red...
750ml
Bottle:
$70.79
The aromatic combination of blueberries, pecans toasted with a bit of honey, coffee and crunchy dried oak leaves...
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Winery
Mark Ryan
Varietal: Viognier
There are few white wines in the world with as much of a floral, elegant and summery aroma as those made from the Viognier grape. This fine varietal has been grown in and around the Rhone region of France for centuries, and is believed to have been brought to France by an ancient Roman Emperor, who wished to spread this special grape around his growing empire. Today, wineries in the New World are beginning to experiment with this grape, which is notoriously difficult to grow and highly susceptible to mildew. Vintners must time their harvest just right, as the distinctive fruit-forward and extremely aromatic juices lose much of their character if they are picked too early, or too late. Due to its delicate nature, Viognier wines are often blended, or are allowed to develop noble rot to intensify their characteristics.
Region: Washington State
Since it began in the 1820s, wine-production in Washington state has gone from strength to strength, with many of the finest United States wines coming out over the past twenty years hailing from this region. Today, the state is the second largest US producer of wines, behind California, with over forty thousand acres under vine. The state itself is split into two distinct wine regions, separated by the Cascade Range, which casts an important rain shadow over much of the area. As such, the vast majority of vines are grown and cultivated in the dry, arid desert-like area in the eastern half of the state, with the western half producing less than one percent of the state's wines where it is considerably wetter. Washington state is famed for producing many of the most accessible wines of the country, with Merlot and Chardonnay varietal grapes leading the way, and much experimentation with other varietals characterizing the state's produce in the twenty-first century.
Country: United States
The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.