Description
Ridgeback Viognier 2025 is a Paarl white built in a fuller, more textural style, showing the variety’s naturally aromatic profile without losing shape or restraint. Viognier can easily become heavy when pushed too far, but here the wine keeps its balance, combining ripe stone fruit, floral lift, and measured oak in a way that feels polished rather than excessive. It is a confident, food-minded white that offers both richness and freshness.
The nose opens with citrus blossom, glazed pineapple, white peach, and a light touch of lavender. On the palate, a creamy mid-palate gives the wine breadth, while subtle oak spice adds detail without getting in the way of the fruit. Ruby grapefruit lingers through the finish, bringing a welcome bitter-citrus edge that sharpens the wine’s richer profile and keeps it lively. This is a natural match for Indian, Malay, or Thai curries, where its fruit weight, spice, and texture can hold their own against layered, aromatic heat.
Already expressive and highly drinkable, this is a Viognier made to show well now, while its barrel work and structure should allow it to hold nicely over the near term.
Ratings/Accolades:
Platter's Wine Guide: 94 points (2024)
The nose opens with citrus blossom, glazed pineapple, white peach, and a light touch of lavender. On the palate, a creamy mid-palate gives the wine breadth, while subtle oak spice adds detail without getting in the way of the fruit. Ruby grapefruit lingers through the finish, bringing a welcome bitter-citrus edge that sharpens the wine’s richer profile and keeps it lively. This is a natural match for Indian, Malay, or Thai curries, where its fruit weight, spice, and texture can hold their own against layered, aromatic heat.
Already expressive and highly drinkable, this is a Viognier made to show well now, while its barrel work and structure should allow it to hold nicely over the near term.
Ratings/Accolades:
Platter's Wine Guide: 94 points (2024)
The fruit for this wine came from three different vineyard sites with east to northeast aspects, each contributing a different element to the final blend. The bunches were hand-picked into small lug boxes, with the smallest and ripest bunches harvested first over a seven-day period to capture different expressions of the fruit.
After early-morning destemming without crushing, the juice was settled for 48 hours and then gravity-fed to 400-liter French oak barrels, 31% of them new. Natural fermentation began in barrel before being finished with a selected commercial yeast strain to ensure a clean, dry result. The various components were matured separately for nine months before the final blend was assembled from the strongest barrels.
Winemaker: Toit Wessels
After early-morning destemming without crushing, the juice was settled for 48 hours and then gravity-fed to 400-liter French oak barrels, 31% of them new. Natural fermentation began in barrel before being finished with a selected commercial yeast strain to ensure a clean, dry result. The various components were matured separately for nine months before the final blend was assembled from the strongest barrels.
Winemaker: Toit Wessels
Nestled on the northern slopes of the Paarl-Limietberg Mountains, Ridgeback Wines has evolved from a 1997 fruit farm into one of South Africa’s most distinguished boutique estates, known for a "lionhearted" approach to winemaking that mirrors the tenacity of its namesake dog breed. Under the recent leadership of Cellar Master Renier van Deventer, the estate continues to dominate the awards circuit, most notably securing two prestigious 5-star ratings in the 2026 Platter’s Wine Guide for its 2021 Shiraz and 2022 Cabernet Franc. With a 35-hectare vineyard philosophy rooted in minimal intervention and a deep respect for the region's granite-rich soils, Ridgeback produces a diverse portfolio ranging from the investment-grade Signature C and The Journey blends to the approachable Vansha and Lion Hound labels. Whether you are sipping their acclaimed Viognier on The Deck overlooking their tranquil koi dam or cellaring their robust reds, Ridgeback remains a definitive expression of Paarl’s premium terroir and a testament to consistent, world-class craftsmanship.
