Lismore Age of Grace Viognier 2020 is a stunning, expressive white from Elgin’s rose-quartz soils, showcasing elegance and depth. Aromas of honeysuckle, orange blossom, tropical fruits, and a hint of toasted cereal lead to a luscious, textured palate filled with apricot, pineapple, kiwi, and creamy nuances. Barrel fermented and matured partly in concrete eggs, it balances ripe fruit with fresh acidity and a touch of phenolic bitterness, promising both immediate pleasure and rewarding cellaring for up to 6 years.

The Wine Advocate | RP 93
Published: Jun 9, 2022
Drink: 2022-2028

Devastatingly gorgeous in the glass, the 2020 The Age of Grace Viognier exudes finesse, refinement and precision with a beautifully floral and aromatically lifted nose, compounded by oak essences, tropical and stone fruit aromas and a cereal grain element. Full-bodied, luscious and compact, the Viognier unfolds in the mouth with layers of complexity as it struts across the mid-palate with meticulous purity. It offers flavors of apricots, white peach, popcorn kernel, caramel apple, pineapple and cream of wheat along with a balanced structure and a kiss of phenolic bitterness. The wine explodes on the finish, showcasing ripeness of fruit and varietal purity. Another stellar Lismore bottling for the books. Samantha O’Keefe has done it again.

Lismore.co.za

This expressive viognier, grown on rose-quartz soil, seduces you with the beautiful perfume of honeysuckle and orange blossom and a textured palate of apricot, kiwi and pineapple. A sensual and exotic experience. Barrel fermented and aged. Enjoy it now or allow it to gain complexity with further cellaring.

Wine Made in the Soil
This viognier is a reflection of my obsession with how special soils, climate and a mysterious sense of place come together to produce an extraordinary wine that tells you its story.
This wine is grown on Rose-Quartz soils in Elgin, a cool, high altitude plateau. The region offers a lengthened ripening period which brings the grapes late into season- often 3-4 weeks later than traditional wine growing areas in South Africa. This provides the opportunity to develop deep complexity and concentration.

Winemaker's Notes 
The grapes were picked and whole bunch pressed, slowly extracting the juice at a rate of 550ltrs per ton. The juice was settled for 48 hours and was racked into older, neutral 225 litre Burgundian barrels, and a 1500 litre concrete egg for fermentation and maturation lasting 10 months The 'egg' component is 20% of the production. 

Wine Making Aesthetic
Balance is the key to this wine. Viognier is an aromatic and generous varietal, it benefits from barrel maturation and lees contact with a fuller mouth feel and increased texture. This combined with the firm acid backbone and intense fruit will allow this wine to integrate beautifully and gain further complexity over the next 3-5 years.

Alcohol: 13.5 % RS: 2.8 g/l Total Acidity: 6.69 g/l pH: 3.21
Wine of Origin Cape South Coast