Lismore, Estate Reserve Viognier, Greyton

Peach, butter, honey, dry, full bodied, pronounced intensity, long finish, medium alcohol, medium acidity

Reading Offline #4 - Jonathan's Thames Lido Dinner - Northern Rhône and Friends (The Thames Lido, Reading) : Limey cashew and a little sesame cracker on the nose. With air the oak begins to reveal a tropical mango peel sweetness / greenness. It's a little reduced and international but has its charms. Palate is juicy and dry; mouth puckering acids. Lime Barley Water cordial. Qualitatively holds its own with the Vernay Condrieu it's served with.

My first of the Lismore Viognier - I enjoy the chards but this can also join that list. Quite soft and open with a seeming rich colour and profile it soon lifts and attacks the mid / finish. Yes it feels somewhat like a N Rhone white but real acidity and zest coming through Nice long finish - good power Nose muted initially and perhaps not giving as much as expected but opens a little after time. Only 13% as …

Much more like an oaked SA blend than a pure viognier but, whatever, it's a brilliant wine - rich, creamy, multilayered, fragrant - it has loads of everything.

Terroir-istes Local - Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch Outliers (Cape Town - Las Cases) : (Tasted Blind): Mid straw in colour, the aromas are yellow apple, dried Cretian pears, and light Blenheim apricots. The palate has a distinct phenolic grip, with a pear skin texture, notes of apple pip, apricot, and a touch of spice. There is some flesh and concentration, with a medium finish. Sourced from a small block that is 17 years old.

Rich, full of power, spicy and floral, but the fragrance doesn't waft in the way it does with condrieu. But it's complex and impressive.