Yalumba’s great white gets even better

The family owned Yalumba winery has been a leading force in the comeback of Viognier, but in recent years has outdone itself. Since introducing the white grape from the northern Rhône in France to vineyards in Australia, the company’s winemakers have successfully cracked the code for coaxing out the grape’s exotic character.

Classic descriptors for Viognier include a heady mix of floral, spice and fruit that are unlike any other grape. Honeysuckle, jasmine and lemongrass factor into the fragrant charge, while apricot, peach, quince and citrus notes can be found amongst the ripe fruit profile. Depending on the desired style, some versions are aged in oak barrels that can also impart spice notes.

One of the weaknesses of Viognier’s character is its attractive fragrance is a function of ripeness. Winemakers must wait for the grape to deliver its aromatic payload, which typically means the finished wine comes with a surprisingly high alcohol content due to the sugar ripe berries.

Wines with 14.5 percent alcohol by volume or higher aren’t uncommon, which risks yielding a cloying, heavy white that’s too rich and overpowering to be enjoyable.

One of the welcome surprises of the newly release 2016 vintage of Yalumba’s classic Y Series Viognier is the wine comes in at a lower alcohol level (13.5 percent) than usual, but effectively harnesses the grape’s compelling character.

This is a standout model — one of the best in recent memory — that comes across with force and refreshing character. Clearly something special was afoot in the vineyards in 2016 to give the Yalumba crew the raw materials necessary to make such an utterly delicious wine.