d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2014
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Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
Your Rating
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Winemaker Notes
Blend: 74% Viognier, 26% Marsanne
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 The Hermit Crab Marsanne / Viognier reveals a lovely white peach, lychee, baker’s yeast and jasmine nose lifted with some white roses and allspice notes. Medium-bodied, the satiny palate shows great intensity with just enough racy acidity adding to the good length.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
I have sometimes found the d'Arenberg's The Hermit Crab a challenge to understand. After years and years of enjoying some really delicious white Rhône blends, tasting the same kind of wines from the New World have left me searching to see how they relate to their Old World cousins. This wine—a blend of mostly Viognier and some Marsanne—is McLaren Vale's version of a white Rhône blend. The vintage shows bright citrus, dried earth, and hints of fragrant flowers. The palate, a bit heavier than its French counterparts, puts it in a different space and perhaps with different meal pairings. Overall, the 2015 vintage is delightful and satisfying and pairs perfectly with a chilled Dungeness crab salad. (Tasted: March 3, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
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Wilfred
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Robert
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d'Arenberg is one of the undisputed kings of Australian Shiraz and other Rhone varieties that have historically defined the region. A century on, their vineyards have grown to some 450 acres in McLaren Vale, including Shiraz dating back to d'Arenberg's first plantings in 1912, and nearly one-third of McLaren Vale's old bush-vine Grenache. Fourth generation winemaker, Chester Osborn, recently converted all of the family's vineyards to organics and biodynamics and moved to solar energy in the winery. All the while, in terms of winemaking, not much has changed--all the wines are basket-pressed, the reds foot-trodden during fermentation; everything is done in small batches, leading to an impressive array of bottlings every year, each showing a different facet of McLaren Vale terroir. Having been inducted into Wine & Spirits Magazine's Hall of Fame for earning a place on its Top 100 Wineries nine times, this accolade is a reflection of d'Arenberg's revered reputation worldwide.