The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2020 is from the entry-level line of wines from the Yalumba Family WInemakers who planted their first vineyard in Australia in 1849. Yalumba is the Hill-Smith family, and Sam Smith was the founder 173 years ago. They are still family owned and operated which is rare for a wine business this old.
Viognier is a grape best known from the Rhone Valley and southeastern France. It is often used as a blending grape in White wine, but in the Northern Rhone, it is used in Syrah wines. Viognier is also popular in Australia where it is added by some producers to Shiraz (also known as Syrah).
Yalumba is the leading producer of Viognier in Australia and offers several bottlings of the grape selling for between $28 and $60. The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2020 lists for $15, but can often be found on sale closer to $10 and is widely available.
This wine is sourced from South Australia which is the southern central section. Most of the vineyards are planted close to the Indian Ocean which provided the vineyards with cool temperatures and enough moisture for the vines.
The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2020 is a young wine intended to be consumed in the next 2 or 3 years, the 2021 vintage is the newest release and it features a revised label. This wine was fermented with wild, natural yeast which is the yeast that flows on the vineyard breezes and attaches itself to the grape skins. The wine was aged on-lees, which is where the dead, spent yeast from the fermentation process is kept in the wine tanks and stirred occasionally.
Viognier is used as a blending grape and as an addition to Syrah/Shiraz wines because it is an extremely fragrant wine and has bright acidity which one winemaker told me “puts a shine” on the wine. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is pale golden yellow. The nose is lemon, melon, honey, dried pineapple pieces, spring flowers, apple, stone fruit, and exotic spice. The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2020 is a medium-bodied wine with firm, interesting flavors.
This Viognier tastes like lemon, light herbs, vanilla (I do not think any oak was used, this is a natural flavor) melon, and nectarine. The mid-palate adds the nutty/salty on-lees thing, coconut, tart apple, and unsweetened pineapple. The acidity is well-balanced.
The Summary
- The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2020 is a very interesting drinking experience, it is unique, but still delicious.
- This wine sips well but would make an intriguing food wine. It would offer a good home chef an interesting challenge to match its flavors.
