2008 Sanguis Fractured Flowers

Sanguis is an urban winery in Santa Barbara. It was founded by Matthias Pippig and his wife Jamie Kinser, and the couple source grapes from the Santa Rita Hills, Alisos Canyon and the hills east of Santa Maria. A native of Germany who is a food-industry marketing consultant when he’s not making wine, Pippig has been compared to his friend and one-time restaurant colleague Manfred Krankl, the dynamo behind Sine Qua Non. Like Krankl, Pippig creates blends with exuberant names and makes his own labels. He also decries the current “non-interventionist” trend in winemaking, having told more than one interviewer that the winemaker’s job is precisely about creating fine wines through closely monitored winemaking. Wine Advocate calls Sanguis wines “impeccably made…In addition, they also age gracefully. While the bulk of the lineup is red, don’t miss his whites! They’re rich and full-bodied, but unique, awesomely pure and focused.”

This is a full-bodied white variety has plenty of natural aromatics such as peach and violets. It’s a low yielding fruit, so it is grown for its taste over its economics. Viognier is considered an ancient grape and an early favorite of the Roman emperors.