Shiraz Viognier 1999

Frost in October of '98 meant that this wine was made from “second growth fruit”. 5% Viognier co-fermented; 1/4 whole bunches; 12 months in 36% new Sirugue and Francois Freres barrels. 13.5%.

There was near universal agreement, or as near to universal as one could hope for in a room of opinionated winelovers, about most of the wines but this was one that split the crowd. Behind the gamey/truffle-y tones, there appeared to be a whiff of VA. Some felt it lifted the wine; others were more sensitive, believing its presence marred the overall impression. I suspect it comes down to the level of VA each individual finds tolerable. Penfold's Grange was often used as the example of a wine where a slightly more elevated level, than that found in many wines, has long been considered a positive. Personally, it was not at a level to cause any problems for me, though I felt that the finish was a little curious. In addition, there was a peppery note, presumably the result of the cool and wet conditions. The pickers had been led a merry dance by intermittent rain. All up, even if one didn't have any issues with the VA or anything else, not in the top tier.

88?