December, when the vines were in flower, was the coldest and wettest in over a century. This resulted in an exceptionally low crop of grapes “setting”, which has given the wine special concentration and depth. At the start of January, however, the berries were lagging behind in their development. The rest of the summer and the autumn were warm and dry which enabled this cool climate variety to catch up, ripen perfectly and yet retain fresh, vibrant fruit flavours with good levels of acidity.

After harvest the grapes were gently pressed and the juice allowed to clarify by settling. It was then slowly fermented at low temperatures and removed from its yeast deposit or “lees” as soon as fermentation was complete, in order to help the wine keep its lively array of fruit aromas and flavours. It was bottled soon after without being further disturbed so as to retain some of the natural carbon dioxide or “spritzig” to give it extra crispness and freshness. The wine has a multi-faceted interplay of complementary aromas and flavours. There are elements of ripe apples, white peaches, nectarines, quinces, raw figs and citrus fruits. These expand in the mouth to become concentrated and rich, but yet the wine is lithe, elegant and fresh with a backbone of natural acidity.

While ready to drink on release, careful cellaring will bring out a myriad of other fascinating nuances. It should continue to improve over five to six years and live a decade or more.

Wine is a natural health food.