Viognier, a Great & Rare Rhone Grape, Perfected by Australia’s Oldest Family Winery
Viognier has long been considered one of the great grapes of France’s Rhone Valley. Less than a decade ago, this variety was considered one of the wine world’s rarest, but most intriguing varieties. In fact, outside of the Rhone, Viognier was virtually unknown to the rest of the world’s vineyards until more recently. Now, Viognier is arguably the most en-vogue white varietal tease show in California today and it is one of California’s most expensive wine crops. The Yalumba Winery is the source of Australia’s first commercial Viognier plantings from back in 1980 long before there was the same level of interest as today. Yalumba continues to be the largest mature Viognier resource in addition to being Australia’s oldest family winery. Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith a British migrant and English brewer. After buying 30 acres of land, Smith and his son began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” an aboriginal word for “all the land around”. Six generations and more than 150 years later, Yalumba is doing the world a great kindness with their work in Viognier.
A Rare and Vibrant Treat in Viognier
The twist off cap is forgivable only because this wine is so delicious. The nose has been said to speak of lemon meringue, ginger, grapefruit and white flowers. I found it very delicate and almost had to hunt to find the words to inhale. There was a fine whiff of pineapple, an undisclosed blossom, but still very lightly done, nothing overpowering at all. Definitely, a rich, soft wine. It’s very gentle, but yet full-bodied with grapefruit and apricot flavors, and displays a persistent finish. The texture is extremely silky and almost luminous on the tongue. Its richness of body and flavor suggests a sweet wine, yet its finish is long and dry. Wine Spectator gave Yalumba’s Viognier a well deserved 92 point rating and the same 2008 vintage graced the number 39 spot on the Top 100 list. If you haven’t gotten on the Viognier bandwagon yet, this is a great selection to start with. Normally priced at $19.00 a bottle, Yalumba’s 2008 Viognier can be had now on sale for $16.00!
