2017 Yalumba Samuel's Collection Viognier Eden Valley Australia 750 ml

The Wine that Spurred a Trip Down Under

After an approximately million hour flight, we found ourselves on a mountain top looking out over two of the most iconic winegrowing regions in South Australia. To the right was the Barossa Valley, home to some of the most famously plush, powerful Shiraz in the world. Off to the left was the lesser-known but wildly accomplished Eden Valley, the sweep of the land rolling away as far as the eye can see, the ground dotted with some of the top white-wine vineyards in Australia.

It was Yalumba’s 2017 Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier that had inspired our trip: We had tasted the rich, golden wine blind and were completely fooled. It had the richness and mouthfeel of a great-vintage Chardonnay, perhaps even a bottling from Burgundy, but with tropical aromas that sent our minds to the New World. The second sip presented all the complexity of a great bottle from Condrieu, the iconic homeland of the Viognier grape variety in the Rhône Valley, but it was far too reasonably priced for that.

We couldn’t figure it out. 

Turns out it’s the old formula of attentive farming, gentle winemaking, and terroir that’s perfectly suited to the famously fickle grape variety, and Samuel’s Collection Viognier has been winning over pros and casual wine-lovers since its first release. Decanter, in its World Wine Awards, gave it 95 points and a Gold Medal, swooning over its “delicate apricot and acacia aromas, creamy texture with peach, quince, and delicate ginger spice towards the end. Notes of melon and juniper carry through on the long finish, with a pleasant mineral salinity.” 

We loved the fact that, even this early on, it offers significantly more pleasure than a Condrieu, and at well less than half the price. And its future potential is infinite: Give it a couple of years in the cellar and just wait for what we predict will be unforgettable notes of honey and toast to emerge.

After harvest, the grapes were pressed and aged in a combination of oak barrels and steel tanks, giving the wine both a creamy texture and mouthwatering freshness. Indigenous yeast worked its magic on the juice, and bâtonnage over the course of ten months on the lees contributed to its inimitable texture and depth. The result is a wine that coats the palate with a cornucopia of fruit—pineapple, star fruit, nectarine, kumquat—anchored by hints of cashew, and a texture as unforgettable as the landscape in which it’s grown.

Our sommelier friends who were smart enough to snap it up for their restaurant wine lists tell us that it’s become a must-order bottle for fans of rich Chardonnay who want something a bit more aromatically complex without sacrificing a creamy texture. It’s the somms’ secret weapon—now available in your home. 

Yalumba has been crafting standout wines in South Australia since the mid-1800s, and the 2017 Samuel’s Collection Viognier from Eden Valley represents a new high-point in their already illustrious history. Get it while you can: A wine this acclaimed, and this utterly delicious, won’t be around here—or anywhere else!—for long.