I was preparing our dinner last night when it dawned on me that I needed to pair sweet potato and Thai eggplant Penang curry, Chicken Satay and Thai Beef salad.  A myriad of spiced dishes, not spicy as such, just highly flavored.  Red was out of the question, as was Chardonnay.  What I needed was something aromatic and slightly sweet.  Riesling would have been perfect, but I was up for a challenge, not the easy road.  I thought about a Gewurtztraminer, but settled for a Viognier.  The Louis Latour brand covers many regions and every price point.  I went with the $12 offering from the Ardeche region which is located in the southern Rhone.

This wine is decent, showing off it’s pale yellow straw color and offering up some aromatics of green apple and petrol with some lemon zest.  On the palate, a cutting acidity is immediately noticeable as is some back end bite.  The fruity composure is pale green apple and lemon with some quince in the mix.  I was hoping for more aromatic flavors of rose petals and pineapple, but alas that is not typical of this hot region.  The wine lacked the sweetness I seeked but made up for it with the acidity.  Whilst I enjoyed the wine and thought the pairing was great I had some reservations about the back end bite.  87 points and 3 stars for this one.  Enjoy it with spicy dishes or on the patio in the mid-summer heat.  Salut….