I can’t tell you how long we have been looking for a great Viognier at this price! Actually, that’s not true, I can, it’s been 9 years, since the day we started the business. If you know Viognier well, you will know that its unique aromas and flavours are very difficult to capture, it’s all about picking at precisely the right moment. Pick a day too early and you lose all the subtle aromas of honeysuckle, ginger and jasmine; pick a day too late and it will taste flabby and oily. It takes a skilled vigneron to get it right and the guys at Smalltown Vineyards clearly know what they are doing, because this is unmistakeably a Viognier, albeit with 10% Riesling added to provide some acidity. It has Viognier’s trademark apricot skin and peach fuzz flavour with scattered white blossom and evening nectar grace notes. It saw 2 weeks of skin contact and was aged in old French oak barrels. At about a quarter of the price of a Condrieu, it’s a great value doppelganger. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2026.