Varietal Voyage No.12 – 2008 Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier

29 Dec, 2009

Alas, we’ve come to the final white wine on our varietal voyage. The third viognier on the list comes from Yalumba in South Australia’s Eden Valley. Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery. Founded in 1849, Samuel Smith started with just 30 acres of land near Angaston. He named this small parcel “Yalumba” – the aboriginal word for “all the land around.” One hundred thirty one years later Yalumba planted 3 acres of viognier in the Barossa Valley, the first commercial plantings of this variety in Australia. Curiously, the Eden Valley region, shown on the label, is an eastern extension of the Barossa Valley. They now have access to over 70 acres of viognier from a range of regions, giving the winemakers the ability to select the best qualities of each area. The Eden Valley viognier is just one of the 5 viognier based wines that Yalumba produces. The others are the Y Series, Virgilius (Yalumba’s outstanding benchmark viognier), and 2 sweet dessert-style viogner’s.

For this particular wine, our opinions were split. Sue was not all that impressed with the selection, on the other hand, I found it to be quite enjoyable. It’s moments like these that illustrate how subjective the wine tasting process can be. Each person’s palate is differnet and the way we perceive aromas and flavors varies tremendously. What is important is it to try new wines and to form your own opinions. This is the only way to find out what you really like. As long as you get to try new things and enjoy the experience, that is all that really matters.

With that said, this is my review. As mentioned earlier, I found this wine to be quite good. Emanating from its golden yellow color is a bouquet full of rich peach and apricot mixed with peppery spices. Flavors range from succulent peach and melon at the start to luscious apricot and citrus laced with spice throughout the long finish. In addition, there are complex, creamy notes of honey and toasted biscuits (from 10 months resting on lees) that tie it all together.

2008 Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier ($19)

100% Viognier
Barossa/Eden Valley, South Australia
Producer’s Info Sheet

Well that’s it for our twelve white wines. Now we go over to the dark side to experience twelve red wines from around world. Next up Cabernet Sauvignon!

Varietal Voyage – See how it started…

Tagged Australia, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Viognier

Varietal Voyage No.8 – 2007 Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay

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22 Nov, 2009

Jeff

Varietal Voyage

The next Chardonnay on our list comes from Australia’s Barossa Valley (pronounced “Bar-ah-sa”). The Barossa Valley is located in southern Australia about 30 miles northeast of Adelaide, this is Aussies’ version of the Napa Valley. This region produces almost half of all the Australian wines. Trevor Jones Winery, part of Kellermeister Wines, is in the town of Lyndoch at the southern tip of the Barossa Valley. The valley’s hot, dry climate is perfect for growing intensely ripe Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache, but it also produces some very good Semillon and Chardonnay.

The 2007 Virgin Chardonnay is unlike many traditional Chardonnays. As the name suggests, this “virgin” chardonnay is made completely without the influence of any oak. Many Chardonnays are fermented in oak tanks and or aged in oak barrels. For some people the use of too much oak overwhelms the natural fruit flavors of the grapes with strong overtones of toasty vanilla. In response, many producers are making wines that limit the amount of oak they use or forego its use completely.

This Virgin vintage was thoroughly enjoyable. For its young age it has a surprising golden yellow color tinted slightly green. The absence of oak is immediately evident, which allows the natural fruit character to shine through. Aromas and flavors of stone fruits (peaches and apricots) permeate the wine with some tropical fruits mixed in for good measure. Nutty, herbal notes may be a sign of some time spent on it lees. It has a rich buttery mouth feel that comes along with the judicious use of malolactic fermentation, a process that converts tart-tasting malic acid (think green apples) to lactic acid (think milk or butter), not uncommon for Chardonnay. With all of this complexity it ends with a clean finish that begs you to take another sip!

2007 Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay ($18)