Scion came highly recommended as one of the rising stars of the Rutherglen, a tough gig considering a number of the family wineries go back over 125 years.
A modern funky tasting room shows that this place is going to deliver more than just the standard Rutherglen wines and they don’t disappoint with a distinctly French flair to their wines which revolve around Rhone varieties of Viognier and Syrah. They of course throw in some Durif, it is the Rutherglen after all, although trying to do it in a French style with Viognier doesn’t quite work for me. The straight Viognier is on the lean side for me and a bit linear. The Syrah is the lovely savoury dry French style which is well balanced with the 20% new French oak although it needs more time for the tannins to integrate. The standout is the 2017 Rose which I would have mistaken for a southern French Rose in a blind tasting, made from Durif it has a light fruit, savoury notes and a medium dry finish which shows skill of winemaking.
A big thanks to Fenella at the Scion tasing room for taking us through the range which was good because the winemaker appeared more interested in working on his computer than talking to the punters in the tasting room. Their price point is a bit higher than many of their competition so will be interesting to see if they can flourish making non-conventional Rutherglen wines.