SNAPSHOT
-
Style: Aromatic, structured Viognier built for the table (not the tasting bench)
-
Variety / Clone: 100% Viognier (HTK)
-
Alc: 12.5%
- Bottled: Feb 2026
- Released: May 2026
- Cases Produced: 567
TERROIR
Ultra-cool inland site above Rylstone in the Great Dividing Range, ~650 m ASL with wide diurnal range. North-facing slopes over Ordovician (≈450 Myr) limestone reef with shallow sandy / sandy-loam soils. Low soil heat retention plus valley cold-air pooling yields effective night-time temperatures equivalent to ~1,200–1,300 m, locking in perfume and natural acidity. Season rhythm: budburst late Sept/Oct; harvest Mar/Apr (earlier for Viognier in suitable years).
VINTAGE & VINEYARD
2025 produced a finer, fresher and more acid-driven expression than the fuller-bodied 2024 release. Picked at approximately 12.5 Baumé, the fruit delivered lower alcohol, less overt flavour weight and greater line, making the wine more precise, food-friendly and refreshing while still retaining Viognier’s floral and stone-fruit character. Careful canopy management was essential to manage vine health and disease pressure, ensuring clean, balanced fruit at harvest.Harvest: machine harvested on 4 March 2025 from C Block Viognier, sourced from approximately 25-year-old HTK clone vines.
WINEMAKING
Whole-bunch press to stainless steel; cool ferment to preserve lift and line. Partial malolactic to gently round acidity and build mid-palate glide. Élevage: 6 months on fine lees with gentle bâtonnage. Fining: PVPP (Vegen-friendly)
Analysis at bottling: pH: 3.2 TA: ~6.5 g/L RS: ~5 g/L
TASTING
Colour: golden-straw.
Bouquet: Honeysuckle, peach blossom and white apricot, with citrus peel, ginger and subtle spice.
Palate: Medium-to-full bodied and finely textured, with apricot, white peach, citrus peel and a gentle spice note. Compared with the richer 2024 release, the 2025 is lower in alcohol and more acid-driven, giving the wine less overt fruit weight but greater freshness, line and table versatility. Fine lees and seasoned oak provide texture and glide, while the naturally bright acidity carries the wine to a long, elegant finish.
FOOD & SERVICE
Thrives with aromatic spice and richness: coconut-based curries, saffron-lemon tagine, miso-glazed cod, grilled shellfish, roast chicken. Serve 10–12 °C in generous white stems; a brief splash-decant unfurls the aromatics
WHY VIOGNIER HERE?
Viognier’s spiritual home is France’s Northern Rhône—Condrieu and the tiny Château-Grillet—celebrated for stone-fruit perfume, honeysuckle and a naturally silky, oily texture. It nearly vanished last century before a modern revival. Tradition also sees Viognier co-fermented with Syrah in Côte-Rôtie to lift colour and aroma.
On limestone in an ultra-cool site like Rylstone, you get the best of both worlds: generous aromatics with real line. Short, cool ferments and fine-lees élevage build shape without makeup. The result is Viognier that pairs like a serious white at the table and ages on its intrinsic chemistry, not post-ferment cosmetics.
ABOUT RYLSTONE ESTATE
A hospitality-driven collaboration between Will de Beaurepaire and James Wilkinson, curated for restaurants, bars, hotels and events. The brief is terroir before technique—clean lines, food-centred balance, and zero “cosmetic winemaking.” Texture and longevity are built in the vineyard and élevage, not added after the fact.
