2022 Yalumba - Viognier Eden Valley Samuel's Collection (750ml)

Yalumba is one of Australia's oldest wineries, founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, a 37-year-old English brewer who left Dorset with his wife and four children in 1847, sailing to Port Adelaide before trekking north to Angaston. Samuel named his new wine farm "Yalumba," meaning "all the country around" in the local Peramangk language, embracing the indigenous culture of the region he had made his home. With over 170 years of unbroken independence, Yalumba still makes wine at that founding estate under the direction of the same family, and Samuel's Collection honors the founder's spirit of independence and conviction to invest in the land.

The growing season began with a wet winter and spring, giving the vines plenty of water access throughout the root zone. Mild, below-average spring and early summer temperatures resulted in a long, even ripening period. After harvest, 60% of the fruit was gently pressed directly into old French oak barriques and puncheons, with the remainder going into stainless steel. The juice was allowed to passively interact with air, oxidizing away bitter phenolics and creating ideal conditions for the vineyard's natural wild yeasts to begin fermentation. The wine rested on lees with regular stirring for ten months, building complexity and creaminess.

Expect pure aromas reminiscent of fresh apricot, lifted ginger, saffron, and fresh white flowers. Aromatically it's more tightly wound than some vintages, with honeysuckle and gentle spiced orchard fruit, but the wine shows complexity and real age-worthiness, with a creamy, waxy texture lifted by a lick of bright acidity.

Pair with a Moroccan tagine and couscous, or baba ghanoush.