Riesling

WE HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF OUR DELICIOUS RIESLING STILL AVAILABLE

Aromatic whites thrive in Central Otago, especially Riesling. On our vineyard, Riesling is planted on its steepest slope. The soil is made up of rocks, boulders and more rocks. There is very little organic matter and the wind just hammers this north-facing slope, which is why we’ve taken our time bringing our Riesling vines into production. We finally felt the vines were ready with the 2010/2011 growing season – the roots were down deep enough and the vines seemed vigorous – to yield their first crop. About half our Riesling vines are a selection from the Drumlin Vineyard, a steep site planted in 1995 by Alan Brady adjacent to his home. This is the source of some of the best Central Otago Rieslings we have tasted over the years (by Mount Edward).

Current release:

2015 "Pisa Terrace Vineyard" Riesling, suggested retail is $27/bottle

This Riesling reflects the steep hillside of our vineyard: exposure to wind, stones, and the vine’s struggle to set fruit and ripen it. We chose to ferment it almost to dryness to accentuate the minerality that our vineyard shows, with citrus and green apple fruit and elusive herb undertones adding to classic Riesling flavours. The partial aging in a neutral oak puncheon complements the minerality, and adds a mouth-filling texture to balance the racy citrusy flavours and cleansing acidity.

Here are a couple of our favourite reviews of this wine:

Cameron Douglas, Master Sommellier 96 Points

Attractive, floral and enticing scents of sweet lime flower and mandarin peel, apple and white apricot follow along with a rocky stony mineral layer. On the palate – tense, crisp, youthful and dry; flavours reflect the nose with emphasis on lime flower and apple, a hint of pineapple and white apricot; high acidity and long finish. A very expressive wine both in texture and flavour. Drink now or continue to cellar till 2030.

Sam Kim, ★★★★★ 5 Stars

A fabulous riesling; the gorgeous bouquet shows lemon curd, lime sorbet, apple and jasmine aromas, leading to a juicy palate that is finely textured and beautifully flowing. The wine delivers pristine fruit flavours, wonderfully structured by bright acidity, leading to a persistent finish. This is light and crisp-dry with full of delicious flavours. At its best: now to 2023.

The VintageThe 2015 growing season was marked by a cool spring with slow but early season growth. Finally around mid-December, the weather seemed to stabilize. Low rainfall assisted with soil temperatures finally increasing causing a rapid growth surge. Peak temperatures continued to be high throughout January in the build up to veraison. We had lots of “three cluster per shoot” vines that we had to thin dramatically. Temperatures were relatively moderate through February with warmish nights but more than double the monthly rainfall. Veraison was helped by the early warmth and achieved completion quickly. Vine and leaf condition held very well with no signs of stress or early shut down. We harvested the Riesling on 30 March, and the fruit was in impeccable condition. We were thrilled with the quality of the grapes and potential wine.

Note: there is no 2013 Riesling, as sadly our vineyard was badly frosted.

2012 "Pisa Terrace" Riesling

2011 "Pisa Terrace" Riesling