A Barossa Small Vineyard Long Lunch

Barossa Small Vineyard Long Lunch

I love a good Friday long lunch.  Recently I attended one with the focus being on wines from small and little known producers in the Barossa Valley.  With four of the six wines under AUD 50, there was some good value there.

Tim Smith Viognier 2025

I have been on the quest for a while to find a good Australian Viognier that reminds of the Viognier from Condrieu (Northern Rhone).  As the Barossa is Shiraz/Syrah territory - as is the Northern Rhone where many producers use Viognier to perfume their Syrah - I was intrigued to taste this one.

The first sniff gave me the abundant floral perfumes that I expect from a Condrieu – what a promising start as it means that the grapes have not been picked too early.  Sipping the wine gave me glorious flavours of white peach, mandarin, white florals, gardenia, frangipani, chervil and roman chamomile.  This wine was very round in the mouth and has flavour intensity– slightly voluptuous without being cloying.  Would pair beautifully with sweet and sour pork.

This is a Condrieu-style Australian Viognier and some bottles of it will shortly appear at my abode.  Extremely good value.

Rating: Bloody Delish               Price: AUD 30

Soul Growers Single Vineyard Helbig Shiraz 2024

One of my lunch companions had recently visited Soul Growers’ vineyard and rated their wines highly – therefore I wanted to taste what she was talking about.

This was a smooth, round wine with concentrated flavours of black plum and dried cranberries along with a subtle taste of black pepper.  The tannins were smooth, seamless and well-integrated.  A beautifully balanced wine that paired brilliantly with the slow cooked beef cheeks in a red wine jus on a pureed potato base.

Rating: Bloody Delish (almost Outstanding)      Price: AUD 160

Chris Ringland North Barossa Shiraz 2019

This was a big, viscous and rich wine – a big bruiser.  At 17.3% abv it was like drinking a port or a Riversaltes but without the alcohol burn.  Quite amazing that they could tame the alcohol so well– and no, it was not fortified.

For the flavours, think black!  Black tar, graphite, very jammy stewed black plum and a touch of black shoe polish.  The oak was the dominant aroma and this came through in the flavour profile with the tannin sticking out.

Rating: Delish       Price: AUD 50