Yalumba, 2009 Viognier, Eden Valley

Yalumba’s 2009 Viognier is an exotic specialty from down under.  Australia’s Eden Valley meets the girl & the fig and pairs biodynamic viticulture with a biodynamic food menu!

                  

From the website: Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, British migrant and English brewer, who had brought his family to Angaston seeking a new life…Samuel named his patch "Yalumba" – aboriginal for "all the land around". Five generations and 160 years later Yalumba, Australia's oldest family owned winery, has grown in size and stature, embodying all that has made the Australian wine success story the envy of winemakers the world over.


"Viognier is incredibly challenging and demands handling with kid gloves," says Yalumba winemaker, Louisa Rose. "It's unpredictable, difficult to grow and the yields are low. The variety always has the ability to surprise you - one day the grapes on the vine are dull and flavourless yet the very next day there'll be the explosion of musky apricot characters that make it so appealing."


Yalumba is also dedicated, much like the girl & the fig, to use the environment in a very beneficial way and without harming it.  "We are convinced that our efforts in protecting our natural resource base have reflected in the quality of the wines we share with the world. Quite simply, excellence in winemaking required excellence in environmental management – the two are inseparable. Our wines now celebrate this fact."

Robert Hill Smith, Proprietor

K & L wine merchants published this critique of Yalumba’s viognier:

"The Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier is rich and opulent with intense varietal flavour - classic apricot and white peach flavours combined with citrus freshness and a hint of spice. Partial barrel fermentation in French oak has contributed the complexity essential in creating a truly intriguing wine." 

89 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Bright, greenish gold. High-pitched aromas of lime, orange peel, pear and dusty minerals. Seductively fragrant but less exotic than most New World viogniers, offering spicy citrus fruit flavors and a subtle floral quality. Dry and firm on the finish, leaving behind spice and lime notes." (Jul/Aug 10) 

According to Wine Spectator: "Extra spicy, with more pepper and flower stem character than fruit. Yet this holds together, with the pear flavors coming through on the finish. Drink now." (06/10)

Aroma: white peach, apricots, citrus and spice

Body:  Full

Vintage: 2009

Varietal: Viognier

Appellation: Eden Valley, south Australia