PIKES “GILLS FARM” VIOGNIER 2009
I don’t mind Viognier, I like Chardonnays and Rieslings and aged Semillons, so aromatics and substance in a white wine do it for me, so the French influenced, and I don’t mind things French either I might also add, Viognier as a varietal was always going to get an audience with me. Not all wineries have embraced it as much as Pinot Gris/ Grigio as an emerging and suited alternative varietal to Australian conditions but I like the food friendly compatibility of it as well as its drinkability both with food and on its own. Grown in a more cooler climate like Polish Hill that this one is, makes it a classy more structured white, but yet not taking away from its inherent substantive qualities. Anyway Pikes have got it right again here with this one, as this delivers fresh crisp and yet succulent fruit flavours abundantly and yet with a finesse and a light smoothness to the end of its finish. Try it with grilled chicken satay.
92/100 – Excellent.
Paul Ippolito. - The Five Minute Wine Rush - 10th June 2010
PIKES “GILLS FARM” VIOGNIER 2008
This is a delicious viognier, spice and apricot aromas mingling with nutty lees-derived perfumes and some old-barrel nuances that take the wine into a more interesting realm than the standard apricot jam smelling viogniers. Neither does it suffer from the common affliction of an alcoholic afterburn: the 13.5 per cent listed in the label rings true, with a nicely soft, delicate, seamless palate that flows evenly from start to finish. High on drinkability. Best now to two or three years..
95 points, Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 August 09
PIKES “GILLS FARM” VIOGNIER 2008
This cellar door only edition from Pikes has a bouquet of fresh apricot fruity with stewed apricot and ginger nut flavours supported by lemony acidity.
91 points, Tyson Stelzer Wine 100 June 2009
PIKES “GILLS FARM” VIOGNIER 2006
Pale gold. Spicy, mineral-accented quince, pear and white peach on the nose, with a fine mineral overlay. Graceful, finely etched citrus and pit fruit flavors offer impressive thrust. This bright, clean wine finishes impressively understated and balanced, especially at this price.
91 points, Stephen Tanzer - Sept/Oct 2007
“Floral on the nose, this captures Viognier's elusive fragrance in a peachy, spiced wine that's plump but not overly heavy ”
90 Points. Wine Enthusiast - June 2007
PIKES “GILLS FARM” VIOGNIER 2004
“Too often New World viognier is made absent the concept of balance. My favorite viogniers from the northern Rhone Valley of France, where the grape variety performs at extraordinary levels, do have ripeness and alcohol, but it’s all in balance with refreshing acidity. Pikes achieves that here, showing us seductive aromas of peach and honeysuckle, exceptional viscosity and refreshing, balancing acidity.. Outstanding”
92 Points. Whitely's Wine Talk. December 2005.
“The nose has richness and sweetness of fruit, peaches and apricots. There is depth on the palate, a fruit salad of flavours with a mid freshness that lifts and excites. The power and fragrance of fruit is there right to the end”.
93 Points. Derek Smedley MW – Australia Day Tasting, London, February 2006.
“Pale straw. Incisive scents of lime blossom, bergamot, white peach, apricot pit and honeysuckle. Clean and brisk in the mouth, with a spicy, tangy pear quality, along with crisp apple and quince notes. Finishes with energy and nerve. I'd have guessed this as Condrieu-or at least a Condrieu of a decade ago, when wines this fresh and vibrant were routinely made there.”
91 Points. Stephen Tanzer – International Wine Cellar.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the minerality and zestiness of the light green/straw-colored, French-inspired 2004 Viognier Gill’s Farm, which spent time in neutral oak. Fragrant aromas of honeysuckle, apricots, and steely minerals emerge from this impressive New World Viognier”. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.
88 Points. Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate, Issue 161.
“Just beautiful summer drinking with its translucent lemon yellow colour and its array of gorgeous aromas. Think honeysuckle, ripe lemon and smooth apricots which carry over with a lovely mouthfeel of flavoursome luscious fruit characters. All of this is supported by a lively, but not over the top fruit acidity. Top notch stuff and really good with Asian cuisine”.
Paul Ippolito. Paul Ippolito Talks Wine – Best of 2005.
PIKES “GILLS FARM” VIOGNIER 2003
“The classy 2003 Viognier exhibits abundant amounts of tropical fruits along with a hint of lychee nuts. Good underlying acidity buttresses the fleshy, exuberant, exotic fruit component. Consume it over the next year.”
88 Points. Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate, October 2004.
|
