Single Vineyard 'Iluma' Viognier 2023

Winemaker: Erinn Klein

Grape(s): Viognier 

GI: Adelaide Hills (Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia)

Site(s): Iluma Vineyard

Vintage notes: The growing season leading into the vintage of 2023 was by all accounts our wettest and cooler in at least a decade.

We managed to just stay on top of our disease pressure during the spring of 2022 and then benefited the rewards with near zero pressure close to harvest.

A long, slow much later than normal harvest meant amazing flavour development, great acid retention in the grape across all varieties. Even our late Italian varieties we finally managed to get ripe.

Vineyard notes: On the northern slope of the Mount Barker Summit, at an altitude of 420m, is the Iluma Vineyard, home of our most inspiring and exciting grapes we grow. The majority of Ngeringa Syrah and Viognier is planted in the Iluma vineyard, facing west on lean, textured soil of micaceous schist and ironstone over clay. The Iluma vineyard is also long certified biodynamic with no chemical sprays applied.

Winemaking: This wine was made on by allowing the must to steep on skins for 2 days before being pressed. Spontaneous fermentation took place in a 3-year-old barrique, where the wine was left to mature for the best part of a year. A small dose of sulfur was added at blending, prior to bottling. No Added yeast, no enzymes, no fining, no filtration.

Tasting note: A classic but modern Viognier dominated by fresh primary characteristics.  The wine displays lifted aromas of yellow stone fruit with delicate floral notes. A full, creamy mid palate, with hints of beeswax, honeycomb and jasmine, evolves to a refreshing, clean finish. 

Closure: High quality composite cork that is cork-taint free guaranteed.

ABV: 12.7%

Label Design: Ngeringa bases its branding and imagery on its relationship with the land: The logo makes the shape of Mount Barker Summit and the icon, in a circle, makes reference to the full moon and to the biodynamic practice of working with the rhythms of nature. The sheoak sits inside the circle, reflecting the name, Ngeringa, the place of sheoak. Each bottle is individually numbered.

Production size: 42 six packs

Reviews:

"I like this viognier quite a lot. In some ways it’s strong with flavours and aromas of cracked wheat, apricot, nectarine, vanilla bean and honeydew melon, but everything pretty much marriages in as one, and it has a strong quartz-like aspect as well, which draws attention away from the fruit. It’s a wine of a higher order, I would argue. I always remember the late Len Evans – I’m going back 20 or so years ago – saying to Yalumba in regards to its viognier that they’d “created the stone; now they have to learn how to carve it”, or something like that. This wine is the stone carved".

Campbell Mattinson, 95 Points