Zonte’s Footstep Lady of the Lake Viognier 2020

On the labels alone, the new organic wine range from Zonte’s scores highly. Imaginative and beautiful, they reflect a deep-seated empathy with nature.

The label for Lady of the Lake viognier 2020 draws inspiration from the lotus flower which is highly regarded in many cultures as a symbol for purity and enlightenment. So far so good. The viognier looks good, but does it taste good?

The fragrant scent of bush honey, honeysuckle with pear offers good complexity. The grape’s ripeness and associated alcohol, 13%, is modest compared to some viogniers out there and it relays a fine textural mouthfeel and, importantly, a lively acidity and freshness.

The palate’s supple with fleshy apricot, orange peel and citrus flavours. Sourced from the Fleurieu Peninsula, which does a mighty fine job with Rhone Valley grape varieties, it is also vegan friendly for all those vegans out there.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic