Hans Herzog
Viognier 2021 750ml

Our iconic Viognier, featured in Michel Bettane’s ‘World Greatest Wines’ is a heady, explosive treasure with aromas of apricot, peach and tropical flowers.

Full-bodied with significant weight and texture, finely balanced by acidity that provides a remarkable backbone to the wine.

The pinnacle of handcrafted perfection.

Vintage 2021

Viognier is a notoriously temperamental grape variety, prone to unpredictable yields. It should only be harvested when fully ripe, achieving physiological ripeness to unlock its stunning aromas.

Picking too early results in underdeveloped flavours, while late harvesting or hot climates can yield oily wines lacking in perfume. Cultivated in our warm sandy soils, complemented by cool Marlborough nights, our Viognier expresses its full potential, showcasing intoxicating aromatics.

The 2021 vintage, though one of our smallest, is of exceptional quality. Cooler spring days led to poor fruit set, while a hot, dry summer reduced yields further. This resulted in an early harvest of grapes with vivid aromas and flavours.

Hans' Comments

The destemmed and partly crushed berries invited for an extended skins maceration to extract the dazzling flavours. Then gently pressed and transferred into 500 litre French oak puncheons for a natural (wild yeast) fermentation to express it’s terroir and sense of place.

Its fine lees has been stirred during the first six months, assisting to its remarkable silkiness, complexity and depth.

The young wine enjoyed 22 month in the puncheons to mature and flourish to a nectar of great enjoyment. No cold stabilization. Unfined and only roughly filtered to retain the amazing aromas. Naturally beautiful…