Riesling 2008

Tasting Notes
An alluring and seductive wine from the deep south of New Zealand. Lemon zest, lime blossom and honey burst from the bouquet whilst floral notes subtly emerge as underlying characters. The palate is seamless and silky, showing flavours of tree ripened apple and freshly pressed lemonade. Mineral notes give interest and depth to the palate and a clean citrus lift completes the wine giving it an undeniably harmonious finish. Enjoy as an aperitif or pair with Asian inspired cuisine. Drink now to enjoy the crisp and youthful characters of this Riesling, or cellar for some time to enjoy more honeysuckle notes and complexity.

Viticulture
The vineyard is planted on a sloping site overlooking Lake Dunstan in Central Otago with good sun exposure and air flow creating clean fruit, whilst the schist soils produce fine mineral notes. The 2008 season was dry, creating a long ripening period which is evident in the wine as fruit sweetness. Close vine planting also influences the concentration of flavour in the grapes, whilst the vines were cropped light in order to intensify fruit flavour.

Winemaking
All fruit was hand harvested and whole bunch pressed to tank at the winery in Central Otago. After a period of settling, the juice was racked off lees and allowed to start fermentation through the interaction of natural yeast. Fermentation continued until 11.5% alcohol was reached, at which point it was stopped to create a wine with a residual sugar content of 12g/L. For three months the wine was left on yeast lees to broaden the palate and create complex textures. Fining and stabilizing took place prior to bottling in September of 2008.

HARVEST: 2008
482 CASES MADE
11.5% ALCOHOL/VOLUME
RESIDUAL SUGAR 12 GRAMS/LITRE
TA: 7.1 GRAMS/LITRE
pH: 3.08
CLOSURE: STELVIN LUX