Mr. Riggs Shiraz Viognier 2005

Beautiful nose! Just lovely to smell. If I could stick a glass of this under my nose all day, I'd be a happy man. Floral notes from the Viognier really make the nose shine. Dramatic taste as well, with some of the floral notes carrying through to the palate. Great fruit as well. Darker than you'd expect, with some white wine in there, but wine guy says that's what happens. Odd, that. Excellent - 88 points.

April 2008

What's New in Booze - 9.0 out of 10
The 2005 Shiraz Viognier is 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier, which spent 10 months in primarily French oak,25% of which is new, is a classic South Australian red with more finesse and complexity because of the Viognier component. Reminiscent of a French Cote Rotie, its dense ruby/purple color is followed by a knock-out nose of lavender, creme de cassis, tar, and spice. Layered, plump, velvety texture, beautifully fruity, and long. This blend is interesting since you have a red and white grape blended to together. Taking the dark Shiraz grapes and co-fermenting read more...them with a hatful of the purest white Viognier grapes. The Viognier actually deepens the color of the Shiraz to a ruby/purple color and intensifies the aromas by adding a slight floral and citrus character.    (hide)

• Tags:
• http://whatsnewinbooze.blogspot.com/2009/06/2005-mr-riggs-shiraz-viognier.html

August 2009

A terrific buy...scents of apricots, honeysuckle, black currant jam, and sweet wild mountain berries... complex, rich, full-bodied ... boasts great fruit ...Generous, but with well-integrated oak, acidity, andtannin... - Wine Advocate

The Wine Advocate rating: 91

Rating: 91/100 - As reviewed in Wine Advocate # 167 on Oct-06