Halter Ranch

Halter Ranch, located about 12 miles west of Paso Robles, is a 900 acre ranch of which some 250 are planted to 19 varietals in 42 blocks. Mitch and Leslie Wyss are the nurturing proprietors of the Ranch which is noted for its meticulously restored Victorian farmhouse that greets visitors as they arrive from the twists and turns of Adelaida Road. Mitch Wyss’s business card reads ‘Winegrower” and the former kiwifruit farmer from Chico, California treats his vines like they were his children, even though most of them are sold to other wineries.

The Halter Ranch 2006 Viognier is a prime example of the tender loving care the Viognier vines got as they grew on steep slopes in limestone-rich soils. Bursting with perfume the minute you open the screwcap bottle, the wine offers fragrant aromas of jasmine and honeysuckle flowers licked with spice. The medium bodied Viognier has the seductive mouth feel of what you might expect from a fuller bodied Chardonnay. But the lip smacking acid in mid-palate balances any expected heaviness. Flavors of summer stone fruit and pineapple along with that baking spice keep going to the wine's long, dry finish.

As a side note, the screw cap bottle kept the wine fresh – with all its original components – for the two days the remainder lasted in my fridge.

Reviewed October 24, 2007 by Michael Lasky.