2012 EMANAI
DELICIOUS MAGAZINE, June 2013
Made for lauded Yarra Valley producer Toolangi, this blend of chardonnay and viognier offers aromas of apricot and white peach. Emanai is a delightful, complex and fresh white wine.
JAMES HALLIDAY, winecompanion.com.au
14 February 2013
An unoaked blend of chardonnay and viognier made for Toolangi by Franco d'Anna, whose gentle touch makes this often clumsy blend an unqualified success; white peach, apricot and ripe citrus fruit neatly combined. Special value rating. Rating 91.
TONY LOVE, TASTE, HERALD SUN
19 February 2013
From this well-respected chardonnay producer comes a co-ferment with viognier, aged in French oak barrels for three months. It is showing heaps of body and soul yet is still fresh and zingy at 12.5 per cent alcohol rating. Its sunshine-full ripe flavours in the precisely picked stone-fruit mode get a genuine lift from an oak-derived flintiness as well. Stylish. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 'Decent drop'. Value: Very good; Food: Chicken caesar salad.
PAUL IPPOLITO, paulippolito.com.au
16 February 2013
Interesting blend of Chardonnay and Viognier which in this case works well given the carefulness of the blending. Co-fermentation and aging in oak for 3months has added to the complexity of the wine and makes it as I said an interesting different white. Neither the Chardonnay nor the Viognier is disproportionate in their respective appearances. Soft acidity, fulsome flavours and good structure tick a few more good wine drinking experience boxes for me. Try it with satay chicken skewers.
KRYSTINA MENEGAZZO, LaDonnaDelVino.com
February 2013
Gary and Julie Hounsell are proprietors of Toolangi Vineyards and happen to be two of the most generous people in the wine community. Emanai is the latest addition to their range and, coincidentally, it was made off-site by my very first boss in winemaking, Franco D’Anna of Hoddles Creek Estate. This young gun winemaker got to have a bit of fun playing with Emanai’s interesting blend of chardonnay and viognier.
Franco used the low-cropped fruit from the Dixon’s Creek vineyard, which he then co-fermented and matured in old French oak for three months. The result is not an abundantly fruit-driven wine but one that ticks all the boxes for texture and interest. The nose offers aromas of smoke, citrus, hay and papaya with a lingering scent of candle wax. The palate has the classic oily texture of viognier, yet with an atypical flavour, which leans towards the green fruit spectrum. Overall, this is a fresh style of wine with a delicious chalky mouthfeel, quite tart acidity and a mineral finish. With its colourful pixilated artwork by Julia Ritson adorning the label, it is hard to miss Emanai on a wine retailer’s shelf.
TONI PATERSON, AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
March 2013
Low-cropped, hand-harvested chardonnay and viognier have been co-fermented and aged in French oak resulting in white peach and tropical flavours.
JOSH TUCKFIELD, VINO-REVIEW BLOGSPOT
January 2013
Viognier is a difficult grape to grow but when it is done right it is a hedonistic experience that combines texture, huge aromatics and intense flavours. In the Rhone Valley, where the best examples come from, Viognier is blended with a bit of Chardonnay to balance out the acidity. Toolangi has just released a majority Chardonnay Viognier blend from fruit grown in Dixon Creek in the Yarra Valley but it tastes more like a full on Viognier blend. The grapes are looked after by Hoddles Creek in older French oak before being bottled and rested and then released. Note: Toolangi only produces 230 dozen so it would be best if you are into this style to get a hold of them early.
All drinkers please buckle your seat belt and hang on as as soon as the wine is open bombastic amounts of apricot and peach skin come tumbling out. The intensity is beautiful and never really overwhelms the experience as it is balanced out by the acidity from the Chardonnay which comes across as lemons or lime on the back palate. Does the wine possess texture? Most definitely which seems to lock on to the interior of my mouth and doesn't let go for a while. I can see this blend working well in the Yarra Valley, especially as it will offer something different from the area.
Rated: 87 Drink: Now - 2017
SEAN MITCHELL, GRAPE OBSERVER
December 2012
Chardonnay and viognier ... together at last! Both varieties are sometimes in need of a couple of months of lite'n'easy, so why not I guess. And you know what, this wine seems to work. Ripe peaches and apricots leap from the glass, and make their way happily to the palate too. Some quite good length, some helping quince and even a touch of honey and paw paw. Winemaker Franco D'Anna of Hoddles Creek Estate has fashioned an interesting wine here for Toolangi.
