“So much here! Flavours keep tripping over each other…So, so different from bog-standard Viognier.” - Tamlyn Currin for JancisRobinson.com, 17 points

The Viognier grape is a bit of a maverick. It’s low in acidity, which is unusual for a white grape, so harvesting time is critical (it can literally come down to a matter of hours); pick too early and the aromas won’t have developed properly, pick too late and the wine will taste blousy. Its sugars develop unevenly too, spiking suddenly around harvest time, so it must be picked before the potential alcohol goes through the roof. Chris Williams, ex-Meerlust winemaker and now doing his own thing at The Foundry, has a team of pickers on a hair-trigger, ready to dash into the vineyard, brandishing their secateurs, at a moment's notice and that military precision has resulted in a pitch-perfect Viognier, full of exotic scents (honeysuckle, coconut, jasmine) interwoven into the creamy stone fruit without turning lethargic and flabby from hanging too long on the vine. A wine worthy of a fine piece of turbot or lobster. 13.5% alc. From a vineyard just 3 miles from False Bay so it gets cool Atlantic Ocean winds which Chris says keeps the wine restrained. Fermentation in old barrels. Drink now-2026.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com: “Cobnuts and rhubarb-lime candy. Daphne flowers and then a little note of Darjeeling tea. Pineapple. So much here! Flavours keep tripping over each other. Straw on the end. Bauble-shiny acidity. So, so different from bog-standard Viognier. This could convince me that all Viognier should be grown within reach of cold ocean winds. Good Value. Drink now-2027.” 17 points