Reviews: 94 points – The Wine Front
Winemakers Comments:
The 2019 Vintage was short and compressed with fantastic quality across all varieties. The warm and dry season contributed to the short ripening period. We were lucky though, good rain fall during winter and early spring meant our rich red soils were at full water capacity. The vines utilised this water source to establish healthy canopies allowing the fruit adequate shading during hot days. Minimising sun burn is crucial to the quality of the fruit and also maintaining the lifted perfume characters in our wines.
We experienced average rain fall at the start of the season until an eight-week dry spell hit in mid-January. After two weeks of dry warm conditions, it was clear ripening would begin to move quickly, this was similar to the 2016 vintage which was compressed and chaotic. Fortunately, I learnt from that vintage, and we quickly prepared to receive ‘lots’ of fruit in a very short period of time.
Harvest date: 08/03/2019
Baume: 10.5 bè
pH: 3.18
TA: 7.5
Soil: deep red volcanic / basalt
Elevation: 200m
Aspect: East
Clone: Unknown
Yields tons/acres: 2.4
Vinification:
The Riesling was whole bunch pressed (30% skin contact for 24 hours) to tank then a light racking directly to older 500L barrels and fermented using 100% wild yeast. Older (neutral) barrels are used to gain a ‘barrel ferment’ character while not introducing new oak flavours and tannins. The wine is then aged on lees for 10 months, racked, clarified, and bottled
Tasting Notes:
A textural Riesling style that shows the barrel fermentation (lees integration) characters well. The fruit is also pressed hard to extract a higher proportion of phenolics, together this adds interest and mouth feel without relying on any residual sugar. A great complex style that people who appreciate European Riesling will really enjoy. These styles also age well so keep a few in the cellar for 5-10 years. Drink 2023-2025
Wine Analysis:
Production: 105 dozen
Alcohol: 12.0%
Ph: 2.97
Acidity: 7.1 g/L
Residual Sugar: 0.8g/L