“DO YOU KNOW how hard it is to sell a bottle of Viognier in South Africa,” said the fellow behind the counter of the neighbourhood wine shop, explaining why they hardly ever stocked it. “Not any more,” said the customer, who’d been enquiring about the Ridgeback, hunting for the 2018 vintage, in vain. “Yeah, heard it just got 5 Stars in Platter’s,” the retailer grimaced, suggesting that yours truly might like to try one of the other varieties from this wine farm in the foothills of Paarl Mountain. “Better than that,” came the retort. “The only Viognier among the Wines of the Year in Platter’s 2020 edition!”

There have been two particularly good vintages in succession for Ridgeback Wines at Langverwacht on the Wellington side of Paarl, the 2017 Viognier Highly Recommended in Platter’s South African Wine Guide, with both the 2017 and 2018 considered gold medal standard at the Veritas Awards. Winemaker Toit Wessels describes it as a niche wine with stonefruit and pineapple characters, the grapes coming from three different vineyards where the bunches don’t get too much direct sunlight and are harvested at night…

Fermentation involved wild as well as commercial yeast and 400L oak barrels, larger than the norm, mostly French, some Hungarian, some Romanian, 16% new wood and the rest second- and third-fill. This applied to most of the wine which was then matured in these barrels for nine months before the addition of a small component that had been fermented in tank, contributing freshness to the blend. Tastes rather special. Especially on the tasting-room deck, overlooking a duck pond. And yes, they do have a Ridgeback (dog) on the farm!

RIDGEBACK VIOGNIER 2018
WO Paarl. Vertical trellising. Oakleaf and Clovelly soils. Irrigated. Night-harvested early-February. Handpicked at full ripeness. Fermented and matured in 400L oak barrels.
Alc 13.5 | RS 3.3 | TA 6.2 | pH 3.3
Producer’s Tasting Notes: Intense, upfront notes of citrus blossom, glazed pineapple, white peach and a hint of lavender. Creamy mid-palate well supported by subtle oak spice and lingering ruby grapefruit on elegant finish. Would complement a wide range of spicy dishes, including Indian, Malay and Thai curries.
Cellaring: Drink now to five years.
Cellar-door price: R130pb.