To some, Viognier can be a ‘take it or leave it’ variety. With its exotic apricot kernel character and relatively low acidity, food is most certainly a must. The best examples of Condrieu manage to walk the tightrope of flamboyant aromatics and finesse, as has Yalumba with it’s barrel fermented Virgilius Viognier.
What happens when David ‘Duck’ Anderson at Heathcote’s Wild Duck Creek plies his wares with Viognier? For the uninitiated, Wild Duck Creek has built a name for producing high octane yet immaculately balanced Heathcote Shiraz. Altough alcohol levels for ‘Duck Muck’ and the Reserve Shiraz often exceed 16%, rarely does one detect alcohol heat. At 15% ABV, Wild Duck Creek’s ‘Little White Duck’ Viognier is very much in the house style. Indeed, it’s bottled at 15% ABV with noticeable residual sugar; one wonders what it could have hit if fermented fully dry!
It should come as no surprises that ‘Little White Duck’ Viognier is not a shy and retiring chap. Viognier on steroids is an apt descriptor. Yet, with context, the wine works. As alluded to in the first paragraph, food is a must. In this instance, moderately spiced dishes from the sub-continent and northern Africa would be the perfect match.
2013 'LITTLE WHITE DUCK' VIOGNIER
Producer: Wild Duck Creek
Variety: Viognier
Vintage: 2013
Region: Heathcote
ABV: 15%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 23 November 2013
Tasting Note:
Bright golden yellow. Bold nose of pineapple, apricot and peach, background spice. Off-dry, rich, thick and glycerolic. Flavour profile is much the same as the nose. Opulent and hedonistic. Not for the faint hearted!
Score: 16/20
What happens when David ‘Duck’ Anderson at Heathcote’s Wild Duck Creek plies his wares with Viognier? For the uninitiated, Wild Duck Creek has built a name for producing high octane yet immaculately balanced Heathcote Shiraz. Altough alcohol levels for ‘Duck Muck’ and the Reserve Shiraz often exceed 16%, rarely does one detect alcohol heat. At 15% ABV, Wild Duck Creek’s ‘Little White Duck’ Viognier is very much in the house style. Indeed, it’s bottled at 15% ABV with noticeable residual sugar; one wonders what it could have hit if fermented fully dry!
It should come as no surprises that ‘Little White Duck’ Viognier is not a shy and retiring chap. Viognier on steroids is an apt descriptor. Yet, with context, the wine works. As alluded to in the first paragraph, food is a must. In this instance, moderately spiced dishes from the sub-continent and northern Africa would be the perfect match.
2013 'LITTLE WHITE DUCK' VIOGNIER
Producer: Wild Duck Creek
Variety: Viognier
Vintage: 2013
Region: Heathcote
ABV: 15%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 23 November 2013
Tasting Note:
Bright golden yellow. Bold nose of pineapple, apricot and peach, background spice. Off-dry, rich, thick and glycerolic. Flavour profile is much the same as the nose. Opulent and hedonistic. Not for the faint hearted!
Score: 16/20
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