2013 Whitehaven Noble Riesling
Accolades
4.5 STARS - Winestate Magazine 2014
Gold Medal - New Zealand International Wine Show 2014
4.5 STARS - Winestate Magazine 2013
4.5 STARS - Winestate Magazine March/April 2014
Silver Medal - Marlborough Wine Show 2014
Silver Medal - Marlborough Wine Show 2013
Pure Silver - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2013
Pure Silver - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2013
Silver Medal - Marlborough Wine Show 2013
Tasting Note
Colour / Appearance:Deep straw with a green hue. Aroma / Bouquet:Citrus, peach and apricot fruit flavours, with decadent honey and beeswax notes from the botrytis fruit. Palate:The palate has an opulent, luscious texture, with concentrated layers of honey, beeswax and stone-fruit flavours. The finish has a pleasing acid freshness and persistence. Cellaring:Will develop nicely over the next 10 years. Food Match:Try this wine with rich, soft cheeses and sweet desserts. Serve:Lightly chilled.
Wine Analysis
Alcohol:9.5%Residual Sugar:170 g/L Titratable Acidity:8.1 g/L pH:3.53
Viticulture
Harvest Date:2nd May 2013 Climate:The season started with a relatively cool and wet spring. This was followed by a warm, dry summer with limited rainfall. The dry conditions continued until the end of the season. Rain in late April, resulted in a high incidence of the “noble rot” botrytis. This concentrated the fruit flavours and added a honeyed richness to the grapes. Vine Management:Vines are pruned to two canes on a vertical trellis. Shoot thinning was carried out during the growing season to ensure a healthy open canopy, and fruit thinning occurred later in the season to ensure all the fruit had ripe flavours.
Vinification
Winemaking:The grapes were hand-picked with approximately 80% incidence of botrytis. At the winery it was de-stemmed and crushed to a bag press. It was left in the press overnight to allow the juice to soak up flavours from the skins and botrytis. The next day, a long, slow press cycle ensured full extraction of juice and flavour from the skins. The juice was then clarified naturally, before inoculation with a selected yeast strain. The ferment was stopped by chilling at a stage when the luscious sweetness and acid freshness was balanced. Winemaker:Sam Smail & Rowan Langdon