Viognier

The historic appellation of Condrieu may be no larger than a postage stamp, but various cuvées from André Perret, Georges Vernay and Marcel Guigal are some of the greatest white wines in the world.

Ever since planting Viognier in the Descendant Vineyard we have strived to make a wine with similar distinction and purity to those of this famous Appellation and when exceptional vintages prevail we produce a Viognier that displays a distinctive varietal character.

Current Vintage 2023

The 2023 growing season brought above-average rainfall in winter and spring and a cooler summer. The majority of the harvest took place in the colder months, and most vineyards were not harvested until April, approximately one month later than usual. Cooler seasons can pose several challenges, but through our dedicated commitment to viticulture practices, such as hand pruning and harvesting with careful soil management, the vintage resulted in low-yielding and resilient fruit. The upside, however, to a cool season is far greater, and producers and wine enthusiasts alike hold these seasons in high regard.

Current Vintage 2022

The 2022 vintage was characterised by above average winter rains making up for a dry autumn, leading to full canopies and healthy vines for the harvest. A severe hail storm across some parts of the Valley in late October resulted in lower average yields. The summer was remarkably mild with very few days above 30 degrees. Slow ripening in the cooler conditions made for a gentle and drawn out vintage season, resulting in wines with higher natural acidity, rich colours and fine tannins. The wines from 2022 will reward those patient enough to cellar them away

Current Vintage 2021

The 2021 summer growing season was mild, with even and cool daily temperatures throughout. Enhanced by good rains provided during the winter and spring of 2020, our vineyards grew wonderful canopies and developed well-formed grape bunches. As a result of this long flavour development cycle in the vineyard, 2021’s signature is wines of high aromatic lift with densely coloured tints and exceptional balance

Current Vintage 2020

Strong winds at flowering at the beginning of the growing season reduced berry and bunch count in many vineyards. The difficult seasonal conditions continued up to harvest- a dry winter and spring were followed by very hot and dry December and January. 2020 was a difficult season to manage for both grower and winemaker with yields much lower than anticipated. Older vineyards with deeper roots remained steadfast under these conditions and produced small volumes of deeply concentrated wines from the lower yields. Semillon and Viognier were the starring whites, with delicate flavours and aromas. While the yields have been small, the overall quality has created deeply coloured and textured wines that resonate their place of origin.

Current Vintage 2016

Despite a dry winter, rains in January and March, 2016 freshened the older vines and provided long, slow ripening periods in between, which led to a stand-out vintage with high-quality fruit.

Current Vintage 2015

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was immediately pressed and settled overnight in tank. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and from here it was fed directly to new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling in late December 2015.

Current Vintage 2013

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was immediately presses and roughly settled overnight in tank. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and from here it was fed directly to new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following March.

Current Vintage 2012

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was basket-pressed at our adjacent 120 year old milk shed- turned-winery. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and be gravity fed directly to new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following January.

Current Vintage 2010

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the „RunRig‟ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was basket-pressed at our adjacent 120 year old milk shed-turned-winery. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and be gravity fed directly to new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following December.

Current Vintage 2009

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was basket-pressed at our adjacent 120 year old milk shed-turned-winery. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and be gravity fed directly to three new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following December.

Current Vintage 2008

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was basket-pressed at our adjacent 120 year old milk shed-turned-winery. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and be gravity fed directly to three new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following October.

Current Vintage 2007

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was basket-pressed at our adjacent 120 year old milk shed-turned-winery. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and be gravity fed directly to three new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on its lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following January.

Current Vintage 2006

This small batch was vinified with the same minimalistic approach that we have used for the ‘RunRig’ Viognier over the last 10 years. After hand picking at sunrise the fruit was basket-pressed at our adjacent 120 year old milk shed-turned-winery. This enabled the juice to stay very cool and be gravity fed directly to four new French barriques. The juice underwent a slow natural fermentation on it lees and was only racked once prior to bottling the following January.