Yalumba | The Virgilius Viognier 2005

PV Tasting Notes

The Yalumba Virgilius is 100% Viognier and is barrel-fermented using only indigenous yeasts and aged in seasoned French oak for about 10 months. It reminds me of Guigals’ La Doriane, rather smoky, this also has the tell-tale peach and apricot scents as well as notes of lilac and white lilies, this is now superb, complex, the texture is smooth and creamy with an exotic flamboyance and with excellent length. I don’t think this will improve further so best to drink up over the next year or so. Having said that, the 1999 is still holding well. Tasted 25/11/11.

90 points Robert Parker Oct 2006
The 2005 Viognier The Virgilius is fermented and matured in neutral French oak barrels for ten months prior to bottling. This single-vineyard cuvee exhibits crisp acidity, projected aromatics of dried apricots, litchi nuts, honeysuckle, and passion fruit. Crisp acidity and a steely backbone provide good counterbalance to the lavish fruit and fragrance.  

Heaven sent for Seafood Risotto, daft as it might seem works really well with Chicken Tikka Masala, even chicken Satay will work, Roast Chicken, most chicken or pasta dishes with a creamy sauce and roast Pork with apple, Veal Scaloppine is a wow.

Yalumba are developing a range of spectacular wines at extremely competitive prices and their reputation is growing on the world stage, the company has always shown great vision in its selection of new vineyard sites and new varietals. It is a serious player at the top end of quality, with some 940 hectares under vine, mostly planted to mainstream varietals; it has taken ownership of Viognier in Australia. I hope they do not go the way other Australian wineries have by over-cropping their vineyards due to ever increasing demand, better to maintain quality and increase prices, given the current quality of their portfolio, this would not present a problem to me personally.

Oak Treatment Nine months in new French oak barriques (4%), balance in mature French oak barriques & hogsheads
Technical Data:
Total Acid 6.3 g/L
pH 3.47
Residual Sugar 1.77 g/L