“A true New Zealand classic …”
The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves. Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling. Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.
After picking, the fruit was gently pressed and left to settle. The clear portion of the juice was then slowly fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel to ensure it retained varietal purity and the additional exotic aromas and flavours provided by botrytis. The wine was handled very gently to allow it to retain some of the natural carbon dioxide from the fermentation to give it a touch of spritz.
This classic style Riesling is different from the 2007 because of the botrytis. It has a star right lemon hue and while lemons, limes and mandarins come to the fore, there is a background of ripe stonefruit such as peaches and apricots. Honeysuckle and honeycomb influences come from botrytis, which has also made the wine more full bodied and concentrated. It has a spine of natural acidity and tingling minerality that helps draw out the palate structure to a citrus zest finish.
“A true New Zealand classic …”
Awarded Super Classic Status "This is classy stuff."
“Surely a classic in its own right”
“Canterbury with its sunshine and big diurnal shifts is the beating heart of NZ Riesling production with Pegasus Bay arguably the country's best-known producer for the grape.”
“ … Delicious, fleshy and long.”
“ … vibrant and refreshing … multilayered richness and precision”
“ … delicious wine is full of youthful impact. Rich and vibrant, …”
“ … rich, luscious … unctuous. A big, bold, beautiful statement wine.”
“ … a distinctive wine with notable persistence"
“Gorgeously ripe and inviting … awesome concentration … Splendidly harmonious and filled with delectable flavours”
“ … Restrained lusciousness with a lingering finish."
“ … Concentrated, with gentle sweetness … good acid spine”
“ … The palate has a very supple and succulent feel … Very complex texture. Superb.”
“ … crisp but not high acidity, … A very harmonious wine, it’s delicious …”
“ … long, fluid build of concentrated citrus and stone fruit flavours. Terrific depth”
"North Canterbury is one of the world’s great Riesling regions … To call this wine ‘iconic’ is to wildly understate the greatness of both the region and of the winemaker….”
“...irresistibly delicious … sumptuous palate … excellent depth and intensity … balanced and harmonious”
“… Rich, concentrated and flavoursome Riesling … Sweetness is balanced by fruity acidity and fine tannins. A powerful wine with character.”
“Off-dry and packed with richness, this has a wealth of ripe peach and mango fruits. The palate has bracing acidity that lifts really weighty …”
“Very nice balance for a Spätlese style of wine. Real refreshment and vitality. Nice savoury undertow. Racy and with good length.”
“ Very aromatic bouquet … very fresh, lively - dancing on the palate …”
“ … The wine carries smoothly to an elegant, long lingering finish. … elegantly rich and luscious medium Riesling … a fine-textured, refreshing palate. …”
“…is a soft, rich, medium Riesling with exotic flavours of limes, honey and musk."
“ A richly-textured wine with benchmark varietal flavours.”
“ … beguiling core of intensity and complexity … A delicious example of Riesling … ”
This distinctive style of Riesling is jam-packed with honey, tree fruit/apricot and orange marmalade flavours (among many others). . . .
Top wine of tasting - “. . . an absolutely outstanding wine with intense concentration of colour, aroma, flavour, body and acidity; The finish is very long finish and this wine shows an exceptional response to the climate that it comes from. . . serious and very complex….This wine was my favourite for its great balance and intense fresh flavours.”
“… This has much more to unfold…. the palate features soft, ripe, up-front citrus fruit and honied flavours along with nuances of exotic yellow florals. The mouthfeel is smooth-flowing with a fine phenolic line and discreet, lacy acidity guiding the palate….This is a soft, rich and gently succulent medium Riesling with citrus and honied flavours and toasty detail.”
“…This has developed some secondary nuance and is quite complete in expression. Medium in sweetness and medium-bodied, the palate is rich and harmoniously melded with concentrated flavours of yellow florals, citrus fruits and honey, along with subtle toasty nuances. The flavours are mouthfilling with a degree of opulence, but the wine is vibrant and lively with underlying, thirst-quenching acidity. The wine has concentration and follows a very fine line leading to a very long and sustained honied finish. This is a rich and harmonious medium Riesling with complex nuances, underlying vitality and a complete mouthfeel. . . ."
Bright, light lemon/green, with lovely poise and concentration. Showing real depth through the palate, it is peachy, slightly limey, and honeyed, with gentle sweetness, good acid spine, and a touch of bottle-aged complexity. Drink now or cellar.
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