Viognier Age of Grace, Lismore Estate Vineyards 2022

The 2022 Viognier The Age of Grace comes from five parcels, is oxidatively handled, whole bunch pressed, and 30% raised in concrete egg, spending 11 months on the lees. Intoxicating on the nose, this offers citrus fruit, frangipane, beeswax and orange blossom scents, very perfumed but not as overpowering as this grape variety can be. The palate is well-balanced with yellow fruit, orange rind and nectarine, a silver bead of acidity and wonderful precision on the sustained finish. So Crystalline! A triumph. Drink 2024-2040.

"A tamed Viognier" is how Samantha O'Keefe describes this impressive white. Made with purchased grapes from Bot River, Elgin and Overberg, it moves from honeysuckle and stem ginger aromas into a palate of pear and apricot framed by very subtle oak sweetness. Drink 2023-27.