d'Arenberg "The Hermit Crab" Viognier Marsanne, 2021

Very aromatic! This vintage is more delicate and floral than we are used to with The Hermit Crab. But at the same time, it is very tropical. Pineapple leaps straight away leaps from the glass. It’s a medium bodied white wine, with green papaya, melon, white nectarine, stone fruits, followed by a little hint of ginger on the finish. A little bit of dryness, yet still fresh. Slightly warm from the higher alcohol content.

Many of McLaren Vale's vineyards are on free-draining soils underlain with limestone, formed by the calcareous remains of the local marine fauna. One such creature was the Hermit Crab, a reclusive little crustacean that inhabits the cast-off shells of others. The Osborn family thought the name appropriate for this, McLaren Vale's first ever blend of Viognier and Marsanne. "Hermit" is also an abbreviation for the French appellation of Hermitage, where the Marsanne grape variety dominates.