Yering Station, Yarra Valley (Victoria, Australia) Shiraz – Viognier 2018

 Yering Station has been making wine for a long time.  They proudly claim the first vineyard plantings in Victoria dating back to 1838.  This Shiraz – Viognier blend is a bow to the Northern Rhône Valley where these two grapes are grown, harvested, and fermented together.  If this is the Australian spin on that style, the co-fermented blend is where the similarities end.  This wine is decidedly Australian in style, with big, powerful, and borderline jammy black and blue fruit, tobacco, red licorice, and vanilla.  If you are drinking this wine anytime soon, it needs to be decanted for aeration, but it can age another ten years if you prefer a more patient approach.