FALCONHEAD VIOGNIER 2020

Trophy for Champion Other White – Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2021
Gold Medal – Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2021

Viognier may not be your first choice variety but this is just so delicious and such good value it should be! This new 2020 vintage we think is even better than the Cuisine Number 1 rated 2019. Ripe and warm on the palate (it is 15% alcohol), but don't let that distract as it is beautifully balanced and takes being really well chilled. This is a genuinely enjoyable wine with or without food, different but not scarily so, and an absolute bargain.

Falconhead is produced by the Wine Portfolio, which previously included the Morton Estate label. The wonderful exotic nose leads you into the soft, rich, and flavoursome palate. There's an array of flavours – fresh apricot, lemons, peach. A portion (35%) is barrel fermented adding a good textural element and a vanillin character.

Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"A very aromatic wine with aromas of ripe apricot, white flowers and a hint of vanilla spice. The pallet is full, rich and layered with complexity. Flavours of ripe orchard fruits and honeysuckle complemented with a noticeable sweetness, supported by the elevated alcohol results in a beautifully balanced wine with a long delicious finish."

Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, June 2021 (2020 Vintage)
"Fragrant, fruity, floral, ripe and varietal bouquet with aromas of white apricot and peach, baked pear and apple, a touch of white spice and core of pure fruit energy. Warm, generous, fruity, spicy and fleshy textured on the palate. Flavours mirror the nose with an increased intensity, but maintain integrity of variety an spice as the warmth of alcohol grows. A delicious wine perfectly balanced now with a long finish. Best drinking from purchase and through 2023."

Reviews for the 2019 vintage below…

5 Stars & Number 1 Cuisine Specialty Whites Tasting, October 2020 (2019 Vintage)
"For decades New Zealand falcons (the only remaining birds of prey endemic to New Zealand) have been revered guardians of Falconhead’s Riverview vineyard on the banks of the Ngaruroro River in Hawke’s Bay. There the resident falcons help the viticulture team with their natural sustainability program by managing pest control operations from the skies above the vines. Considering these majestic birds are such hardworking members of the team it seems only appropriate that the falcons grace each bottle of Falconhead wines.

The fruit for this Falconhead viognier was sourced from 20-year-old vines at the warmer Tantallon vineyard in the Bridge Pa triangle subregion of Hawke’s Bay. The summer of 2019 delivered perfect ripening conditions in the Bay, with long, hot, sunny days and cool nights allowing the vineyard team the luxury of time and choosing to pick the grapes once they hit optimum ripeness without any weather pressure.

The result is a gorgeous, supple, true-tovarietal viognier with creamy apricot and peach-compote characters which come together perfectly to really bring this well-balanced deft vioginer home. Delicate sulphides harmoniously sit alongside bright aromatics and provide all the nuances of a finely crafted, elegantly textured viognier.

A standout wine. As for the falcon, it’s worth noting that the same iconic bird graces New Zealand’s $20 bank note and you can exchange just one note for a bottle of Falconhead viognier and have change to spare, which is extraordinarily good value for this exceptional wine."