YALUMBA THE VIRGILIUS VIOGNIER 2022

Yalumba’s flagship white wine and a benchmark for Viognier. Hand-picked fruit from vines up 40-years-old grown in the cooler Eden Valley region. Naturally fermented and aged in older oak puncheons. A powerful, textured rendition of the variety. There’s the classic apricot flavours but also spice, citrus fruits. Although quite viscose it remains fresh and delicious.

Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"The Virgilius is our flagship white wine. After more than 40 years of working with this variety, the cool elevated slopes of Eden Valley has proved its place in the world as one of the great homes of Viognier. Handpicked and wild fermented in old French oak, this is wine with layers of richness, complexity, fine textures and flavours.

After more than 40 years we believe Eden Valley has proved its place as one of the great homes of Viognier. The ‘new’ clones, imported by the Yalumba Nursery, are starting to mature and bear fruit that we can compare to each other and our established vineyards. Two-thirds of this blend comes from the oldest vines planted in 1980, the balance from another vineyard of the same clone that was planted in 2004.

Pale gold with green highlights. Aromas of white flowers, fresh apricots, cardamom, white pepper and fresh ginger. Lifted ginger spice is layered on the palate with mineral, sourdough-like texture, apricots and almond savouriness. The hallmark Viognier texture of the palate is clearly evident in this wine. It is complex while at the same time shows purity and restraint that will unwind slowly in the glass and take the imbiber on a sensory journey. Fermented and matured for 10 months in mature French oak puncheons."

96/100 Dave Brookes, James Hallliday's Wine Companion (2022 Vintage)
"Widely considered to be the benchmark wine for the variety in Australia, the '22 release of the Yalumba Virgilius once again impresses with its texture, purity and driving line across the palate. Subtle apricot, white flowers, ginger, spice, cut fennel, crushed quartz, liminal sherbet and the quietest whisper of mountain herbs. It's in fine form with a minerally drivetrain and, within that finely focused line, a sense of latent power being held back. Having recently tried a stunning 21-year-old Virgilius at the Yalumba 175th anniversary museum tasting, I may be a bit light on the drinking window here … let's just say 2035-plus."

5 Stars & 95/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review, April 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"Light yellow colour with a complex bouquet of mixed spices, waxy and nutty savoury barrel-derived notes and underlying stone-fruits. It's intense and rich in the mouth with lovely texture and balance, seamless carry and a long long aftertaste. Some alcohol warmth in the follow-through but not unbalanced. This is a splendid viognier."

94/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, April 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"I’ve set the drinking window at 2026- because this is coiled, tight and reserved, and will be so much better for the run of time. But you could of course drink this now and thoroughly enjoy the experience. It tastes of crushed fennel, apricot nectar, stones, steel, citrus and a spray of more savoury inputs, though the net impact is great than the sum of its parts. It shows great power, great restraint and great promise."

94/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, Wine Advoacte, May 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"The 2022 The Virgilius Viognier hails from the Eden Valley, and it delivers us a cavalcade of spring flowers, apricots, marmalade and cinnamon on buttered toast, elderflower, a hint of lychee and a flutter of yellow citrus notes. In the mouth, the wine is viscose and a little oily, and it blankets the tongue. Matured for 10 months in French oak, it is a rich, detailed wine of great length."