The 2008 Hand Picked Shiraz / Viognier contains 4% Viognier. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives intense black cherry and blackberry fruit with some chocolate, a bit of toast and some dusty earth. There’s a touch of oak on the medium to full-bodied palate, with a good amount of fruit, medium-firm fine-grained tannins and a long mocha laced finish. Drink this one now to 2016. Remaining one of Australia’s oldest, largest and most prestigious family owned companies, Yalumba’s top wines should not be overlooked amongst the limelight-hogging young-gun wines that have sprung-up around the Barossa in the last 20 years. Some of the region’s finest vineyards are owned or contracted by this company. They’ve also contributed considerably to the quality of vine material available throughout the region with the impressive developments at the Yalumba nursery. Regarding the current releases, The Signature and Octavius won’t be released in 2007. I was informed that in 2008 all their reds were picked before the first week of March but there were no single site wines made in 2008 because it was felt the fruit wasn’t expressing the sites. 2009 was a good year and everything will be released, though winemaker Louisa Rose confessed that their early maturing Shiraz suffered the most in the 2009 heat spike.Importer: Negociants USA, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-0993

A consistent performer, Yalumba’s Hand Picked Shiraz-Viognier seems slightly bigger and chunkier in 2008 than in the past, with bold fruit—blueberries and blackberries—accented by hints of mint. Expect some savory notes to develop over the next couple of years in bottle. ——J.C.(2/1/2012)—— 92