d'Arenberg, The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne, McLaren Vale

White blend from McLaren Vale, Australia. Meets expectations for what it is trying to accomplish with a blend for Viognier (64%) and Marsanne (36%). Lots of florality on the nose along with under ripe golden delicious and a hint of green apple, floral notes of lilies, hints of honeydew melon, minor hints of oaking apparent. Good repeats on the palate with more apple and minor oaking apparent. Medium acidity, medium plus body. Worth a try if you like these varietals …

2013 vintage

These were very tasty, but now long gone. Great QPR for $12 / bottle

2013 vintage

Total agreement with my note of a year ago (March 4 2016). No deterioration over the year - quite the reverse! Very long with some grapefruit and white peach later to add to the rich apricot. 89+

2013 vintage

Still an excellent white blend with outstanding QPR but maybe peaked and not as vibrant as previous bottles (although that could be because I store my lower priced wines poorly).

2013 vintage

Continues to be an outstanding blend. Shows no sign of fading. Smoky, mineral driven with apricot and tropical fruit.

2013 vintage

PnP at Kansas. Not my style. Too big, too rounded to stand out.

2013 vintage

Consistently good blend. Full mouth feel with peach and smoke and just the right about of acid.

2013 vintage

This one I always rate far higher than the Cellar Tracker. The price varies dramatically--from mid 20's down to low teens. Bought this in Brevard NC (Food that Matters) at the low end and assumed it was a remainder but not so. Full of bright fruit and smoke. Would be my house white if I could get it at the same price consistently.

2013 vintage

Wow, this caught me totally of guard.. Hits the right spots for me at the moment! Super aromatic: crushed flowers, sea shore, funk, candied fruits, bee wax. On the palate very nice balance of sweetish and up front tropicality and dry, chalky, acidic backbone. Generous and fruity but no too big or bold. Elegant. Finishes with good minerality...

2013 vintage

Lovely Viognier character with an attractive smokiness from the Marsanne. Rich 'fat' apricot fruit with a touch of citrus acidity and great balance. Very long. Lovely stuff!

2013 vintage

Stone fruits - apricot predominate on the nose. Nicely balanced. Good with Food. Good value.

2013 vintage

Lovely floral nose with fresh apricots. On the palate, floral theme continues, smooth and rich, maybe lacking a bit of acidity, but still fresh enough. Most enjoyable, drinking well now, can't see it improving though.

2013 vintage

Great white wine! Love Viognier varietal. This is a great expression of the grape. Good fruit forward and smooth as a white should be with a good finish. Still drank well.

2013 vintage

Quite good. Not as rich fruit in the flavor as a varietal viognier, although that's still there. A lighter aroma, too. The marsanne does lends this some crispness that I usually don't get with viognier.

2013 vintage

Forward, and with good aromatics and freshness. A little too burly for me

2013 vintage

Rich aromas of tangerine, mango and fennel lead to a slightly viscous palate packed with orange rind, apricot and tropical fruit that still retains a delicacy about it. Notes of flint and graphite come through on the finish, which falls away a little quickly.

2013 vintage

The vineyard was bought in 1912, Chester's great grandfather sold all his horses to buy the property and probably embezzelled things etc.. Big story there. Viognier gives it apricot and ginger blossom. These vines were first planted in the 1990s and they were the first to plant Viognier and Marsanne and Roussane in Mclearn vale. They have the biggest planting in the Southern Hemisphere. The marsanne give the green mango almond nut character, psitachio, papaya character notes chester. The viognier …

2013 vintage

Subtle nose of grapefruit and a hint of apple. Medium to full bodied, dry and refreshing, showing grapefruit and lemony flavors with a nice acidic bite. Slightly austere on the finish. Good stuff.

2013 vintage

Not bad for commercial grade Rhone white and particularly from the region. Full flavoured with ripe apricot and good broadness in the palate. Does lack structure and class but otherwise not much to complain about here.

2013 vintage

Good QPR

2013 vintage

Consumed over two evenings at close to cellar temp. For a bottle that was $11 at Costco, this was quite enjoyable. My impression was similar to my 11/27/2014 note, maybe with this bottle a touch better integrated and balanced. Still somewhat simple, but tasty and versatile. I'd buy this again at that price.

2013 vintage

agreeable but lacks the wonderful acid/fruit balance of 2008, 2010 that I recall. seems sweeter and less interesting. still agreeable for sure.

2013 vintage

aroma - mineral; taste - mushroom, pear, honeydew, little tart

2013 vintage

This is a great value and an excellent white wine from Australia that is a blend of the Viognier and Marsanne varietals--which makes for a nice change from the more common whites. Nose is open and very fruity with underripe fruit notes. Very smooth, pretty full mouthfeel. On the palate, there is overwhelming fresh young fruit that stays throughout a surprisingly long finish. Goes well with Thai curry or sashimi. Would be good with shellfish. The strong, full fruit on …

2013 vintage

1-2 glasses consumed over about 1 hour with a ham dinner, a good match. Quick impressions: Mid-weight melon/citrus fruit, some floral notes, fair acidity, a decent finish. Not profound, but well balanced. Quite a nice little white Rhone for this price range. 87-88ish.

2013 vintage

Floral and honeysuckle notes on the nose and palate. Crisp and clean finish. Very enjoyable.

2006 vintage

deb drank

2006 vintage

Not as good as a recent '08. Nose had a mild citrus character and lots of floral notes. Pleasant simple palate with low acidity and a short clipped finish that turned slightly bitter.

2006 vintage

Still hanging on.

2006 vintage

Viognier/Marsanne mix. Melon on the nose with some mild sweetness on palate and some floral notes. Medium bodied. Interesting and I would try more I think. 20$ 13.5%

2006 vintage

Judging from others' notes, I think that this bottle was oxidized or stayed warm while it was being stored before I bought it. It did have distinct floral and perfumed elements which told me it had viognier, but it was entirely lacking in fruit, sweetness, and acidity. It was really more bitter than anything else. Tasted as if it was well past its drinking window; I'll just chalk it up to being stored improperly, though I'll never know for sure.

2006 vintage

Luscious, aromatic nose of limestone. Big mouth of citrus, apricot and peach. Excellent height that pairs well with chilli dishes, especially with seafood. Medium length finish of lemongrass.

2006 vintage

Seems to be fading, floral, more Chard in character than Viognier! 87.

2006 vintage

If you didn't see the label you might mistake this for a Chardonnay. It provides a nice golden color in the glass with aromas of vanilla and apple on the nose. On the palate there is oak, butter and some minerality. Decent acidity makes this easy-sipper very food-friendly.

2006 vintage

The Hermit Crab offers floral aromas and thick toasty oak with mango and golden delicious apple. Medium to full bodied in the mouth with firm acidity. Tastes of lemon, pineapple and a hint of lime lead to a flinty mineral finish with more acidity, lemon citrus and the return of the toasty oak.

2006 vintage

Orange, tangerine & lime. Tingling acidity. Fresh. Lingering finish that keeps tickling your tongue and the sides of your cheeks. Full bodied. Olive-oily. Apricot and peaches.

2006 vintage

Still very expressive on the nose, but fading just a bit on the palate. Very nice.

2006 vintage

NIce citrus

2006 vintage

very nice. would drink again.

2006 vintage

Bottle kept in refrigerator for the last 9 months showed wonderful aromas, just jumping out of the glass. Nice acidity and rich mouthfeel. Drank without food and was fine.

2006 vintage

muted viognier but pleasant.

2006 vintage

At Raab

2006 vintage

Just had the last 2 this weekend with fish tacos and it was a great match. What I have noticed different now that it has a few years on it is that the oak is more predominant at the front end of the palate, but it is still an incredible value in my opinion.

2006 vintage

I guess this is just one of those wines that you either like or don't, as well-rated as it was. I found it too tart, lacking much depth. mostly cut grass and some lemon peel, but not much else. Did not stand up well to a night in the fridge with some gas.

2006 vintage

Great aroma with hints of melon and citrus... well worth the price.

2006 vintage

A great nose of ripe melons, and honeyed, golden fruit. In the mouth a thick, unctous feel but wonderful balance - good dense fruit with depth and complexity. However, this is not a cloying wine - good acidity and finishes with a fresh mouthfeel. Excellent for the price which is a bargain at £7 in the UK from Oddbins.

2006 vintage

This stuff is incredible for the price and I think it is aging nicely, not going downhill. Wonderful viscosity, mouthfeel, citrus, minerality and a good length finish. Great white for many food styles.

2006 vintage

grapefruit, nice full mouth with some minerality, grapefruit a little sweetness and long finish.

2006 vintage

White gold with greenish hue. Grassy, tropical fruit, and viscous. Really very nice on the palatte. Coats with some nice tropical fruit, toasty coconut and lemon grass. Paired really well with our sushi that night. Other have stated this vintage is on it's way down, but I thought it was pretty darn good. Willing to try the 2007 now on the shelf.

2006 vintage

Grapefruit, toasted oak, and a touch of butter make this quite nice.

2006 vintage

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d'Arenberg, The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne, McLaren Vale

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