By Farr Viognier 2025

According to Nick Farr, 2025 was a challenging vintage, but the warm conditions and the speed of ripening was perfect for viognier. The picking window for viognier is very narrow indeed, as once ripe, acidity falls off very quickly, and even a day late can jeopardise the entire harvest.

This is the year of the malic acids, registering high numbers, and in the chardonnay, for the first time ever, not all was converted to lactic acid. But I don’t taste this with the viognier, as it seems to me the acid is all citrus, not green apple, and there is lots of curve, cream and flesh. A hot, dry vintage can force your hand, however, the viognier is detailed, balanced and tensioned.

Curvaceous and unctuous, the fruit appearing very sweet, cut through with the most precise zing of acidity. Lime, yellow peach, apricots, green mango, white flowers, cashew, flint, white cherry and nougat. Complex, long, balanced, complete. Phenomenal drinking upon release, and although there is ageing potential, it’s gorgeous now. I don’t think there is a better example of viognier in Australia, and the pick of the whites for me.