2018 Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier Reserve
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Tasting notes
Inky violet. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes red and blue fruit liqueur, spicecake, potpourri, vanilla and incense. Sharply focused and impressively energetic on the palate, offering intense blueberry, Chambord, cherry liqueur, salty olive and floral pastille flavors that open up and deepen steadily on the back half. The floral and spice notes repeat emphatically on the impressively long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves a smoky mineral note behind.
Critic scores
Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The succulent, fruit-forward 2018 Shiraz Viognier Reserve delivers oodles of ripe cherries and berries, but there's more than fruit to this offering, as hints of espresso and asphalt creep in to lend a savory note. The Viognier doesn't stand out as a separate element, as it was co-fermented with the Shiraz (and anyway constitutes only 2.5% of the blend). Medium to full-bodied, this is supple and immediately appealing but with enough concentration and structure to think it will age well for a decade or so.