MOANA PARK Viognier 2010, HAWKE’S BAY.
Honeysuckle, dry figs, dry apricots, white peach and ginger spice. Lurking behind are infrequent tones of Jasmine and acacia. Faintly mineral, warm, tangy on palate, it is soft, medium bodied with some fruit and a spicy finish. Some complexities because of bottle ageing.
Don’t get us wrong. We are not saying that this Viognier comes with lots of fruit; we are arguing that this 7 year old Viognier, with fruit still, seemed to reveal to us its emergence from its varietal character, and has ‘resurrected’ itself over time to become a Fire Pheonix. That, in our view, should avail wine lovers the opportunity to attempt viogniers from a different angle, and would make this an entirely different drink as alluring and enjoyable.
Viogniers from Hawkes Bay are difficult to balance. They have to be picked ripe keep sufficient aromatics and balanced by good acidities. They are also susceptible to coulure (when grapes fail to develop after flowering), the berries are small and, consequently, and yields are low.
The MOANA PARK Viognier 2010 was blended from grapes grown at Gimblett Road, Te Awanga and in the Dart moor Valley. Too many to list, Moana Park has won in excess of 500 accolades for our wines in the last decade including Top Viognier in the world at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2010 and 2011. Moana Park was the most awarded New Zealand Boutique and the most awarded Hawke's Bay winery at the 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards. It also won the Best Viognier 2010 world wine award.!
