Table of Contents
The Story
The Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2017 is 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier sourced from vineyards in South Australia. In case you are not aware, Shiraz (Syrah) is a red grape and Viognier is a white grape and it is not all that common that red and white grape are used in a blend.
I asked a winemaker why they would add a small amount of a White wine grape to a Red wine since you would figure the Red grape would overpower the White grape. She told me that adding Viognier “puts a shine” on the wine. It is an effect you can only get from adding a White grape to Red wine.
Yalumba Family Vignerons is a family-owned and operated winery that was founded in 1849 in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia. They cover the entire winemaking process from the vineyards to cooperage (making the oak barrels), wine production, and bottling. The Y Series is their drink-it_now line of wines.
This is the 2017 vintage, but their website shows a 2018 and 2019 vintage that is also available. This is an unoaked wine not meant to be cellared or aged. The 2017 vintage is still very drinkable, especially since it was produced to be bright and shiny in nature. It is usually a good idea to get the newest vintage with drink-it-now wines unless a certain vintage is known to be better than the others.
Viognier is known for its bright acidity and its great nose it will add a wonderful fragrance to any wine. Shiraz is the Red wine of Australia, but it is normally found with a decent amount of oak barrel aging. Here is unoaked and blended with a small amount of white wine, so this will not be the typical Australian Shiraz.
The Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2017 is sustainably farmed and produced, vegan friendly, and natural yeast (the yeast found in the air and on grape skins) was used for fermentation, rather than commercial yeasts. The alcohol content is mild for an Australian Shiraz 13.5%.
Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2017 Tasting Notes
The color is a clear, shiny, see-thru cherry jelly red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, lightly smokey, very spicey, with a whiff of mint. This is a medium-bodied Shiraz, with a mix of soft fruit and edgy spice.
It tastes of ripe blackberry, black pepper, plum, sharp, exotic spice, and tart cranberry. The mid-palate offers blueberry, orange zest, and a light, rough slap from the tannins.
The Summary
- This is a wine that I found on sale for $8.99, but it drinks beyond its price point. It reminds me of red wine from the Southwest of France. It is lean and not afraid to show its structure.
- This is not a bold and juicy fruit bomb, it has a mix of rich fruit flavors and challenging spices, this may not be a wine for beginners.
- But if you are up for the challenge and are not afraid of a little of wines’ structural elements you will be rewarded with a tasty wine that offers bang-for-the-buck.
