If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes even better than that, as is the case with today’s wine from Skyhawk Cellars.

Mission Codename: Off the pedestal and into your glass

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Locate a superior Napa Valley Viognier – and gently persuade the winery to let or Operatives pick it up at price of less than $20 per bottle

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Skyhawk Cellars

Wine Subject: 2005 Napa Valley Viognier

Winemaker: Norman Alumbaugh

Backgrounder: Springtime is upon us and its time once again for a great white wine. What better than a sweet and delicious Viognier? Today we send Agent White to Skyhawk Cellars, where he discovers a wonderful example. Read Agent Whites’s tasting notes and mission report below to learn why you’ll love this wine

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Glittering gold to pale straw in color with a super tight surface, glistening edges and long, skinny legs

Smell – Beautifully aromatic with deep acacia, honeysuckle, honey, apricot, mango, pineapple, guava, fruit-loops cereal and freshly-mown hay

Feel – Cool and light, fast across the top of the tongue and then quickly mouth-coating, slightly tingly and gently tannic

Taste Delicious layers of tropical fruits, citrus, pear, peach, oak and vanilla with mildest cream

Finish -High and bright with a big tropical fruity sweetness that’s followed quickly by a slight tart dryness as the flavors linger on and on

Conclusion – What a delicious wine this is! Something of a surprise considering the lowish price of this wine. I tasted this wine freshly chilled and again later at closer to room temperature. The combination of time in the air and the slight warming of the wine allowed an additional smoothness and softer flavors to emerge. White wines are great cold, but I always encourage experimentation with regard to temp, stemware and time in the air. Please be sure to take advantage of today’s offer from this small-production winery – before we sell out!

Mission Report:

On today’s mission I relied heavily on our newest asset, Codename: Mr. Brix, a honcho at Napa Valley wine destination, A Dozen Vintners. This wonderful venue showcases some of Napa Valley’s most delightful treasures and when I asked Mr. Brix to sleuth me out a fantastic Viognier for less than $20, he reached for today’s Skyhawk Cellars Napa Valley Viognier (Avg. Retail price, $26.00).

Mr. Brix called this wine a fresh and fruity delight. I trusted his judgment and when we popped open a bottle my senses were immediately rewarded. This is a wine with incredible aromatics, a great mouth-feel and balanced and delicious flavors.

This is a great wine. Like the last wine we featured from Skyhawk, this wine is under-priced. Your gain, and I won’t complain to the winery.

Mr. Brix told me that this wine was is hot-seller, especially this time of year with the weather warming. Mr. Brix was only able to secure a small quantity of this wine for our Operatives today so act fast and place your order – before we run out.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the vineyard is Top Secret.