Hans Herzog
Viognier 2022 750ml

Established in 1994. Herzog, an artisan family winery is acclaimed throughout the world for growing handcrafted wines exclusively from their exceptional ‘Grand Cru’ organic vineyard. Its unique diverse terroir on the right Bank of the mighty Wairau River allows Hans to indulge his passion for many exciting grape varieties. His ‘hands on’ approach, immense vineyard work and almost uneconomically low yields set the bar for his outstanding range of stunning wines rich in varietal character. His winemaking is non-interventional and purely natural, nothing is added or extracted, letting the exceptional wines speak for themselves. 

VINTAGE 2022 - 94/100 points by James Suckling!

Viognier is a famously exacting variety, rewarding patience and precision. It demands full physiological ripeness to reveal its true character: heady aromatics, depth and poise. Picked too early, it remains mute; pushed too far, it risks heaviness and loss of perfume. Grown in our warm, sandy soils and tempered by cool nights, the variety finds its natural equilibrium. The warm, dry season, carried through by a long Indian summer, allowed the fruit to ripen unhurriedly, yielding intensely concentrated yet vibrant berries, a Viognier that is fragrant, refined and quietly powerful.  

HANS’ COMMENT

The destemmed, partly crushed berries lingered on their skins for an extended maceration, drawing out Viognier’s dazzling aromatics. Gently pressed, the juice was transferred to 500 litre French oak puncheons for a natural wild-yeast fermentation, faithfully expressing its terroir. Stirring the fine lees over the first six months built silkiness, complexity and depth. The wine then matured for 20 months in puncheons (30% new), emerging generous and quietly intense. Unfined, lightly filtered and without cold stabilisation, it preserves purity and aromatic expression, naturally beautiful.