Something that’s ‘in the limelight’ is the focus of attention – which will certainly be the case with our Riesling! The name hints of its citrus lime top notes and gives an impression of the fresh and luscious fruit flavours beneath.
2022 Vintage
“Fresh crushed lemon and lime aromas along with star anise and toasted spice notes in this medium-dry style which balances fruit sweetness with gentle citrus acidity.” Olly Masters (Winemaker)
Vintage Notes
Warm temperatures at the start of the season, without the usual buffeting spring winds, resulted in rapid growth, aided by the moist ground from a wet winter. The warmth continued to flowering at the end of November before a cool front slowed growth but it was a good fruit set. January was hot and dry with a few consecutive days over 30°C. Conditions stayed warm for the rest of the season and harvest started at the end of March and continued over the next month. This was a dream season in terms of fruit quality and vine health with yields above the long-term average, and with an even berry size aiding flavour consistency and varietal expression. This season will be remembered as one of the best. This Riesling
was hand-picked at an average yield of 7 T/ha. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1152.
Food Match
This style of Riesling is very versatile matching most types of seafood especially shellfish. It’s great with chicken, duck and pork dishes with either creamy or piquant sauces and an ideal wine to serve as an apéritif and with appetizers such as pate, cold meats, salads and mild cheeses. It’s also perfect with Pad Thai!
Details
| Region | Central Otago, New Zealand | Vineyard | Estate-grown, single vineyard |
| Sub-region | Bendigo | Variety/ Clones | GM110 (65%) GM239 (25%), GM198.19 (10%) |
| Planting | 2005/07, Altitude: 228 – 315m | Harvested | 6, 11 & 19 April 2022 |
| Harvest Analysis | Brix: 21.2=21.5/pH:2.98 – 3.04/ TA: 7.1-7.4 g/l | Bottled | 23 September 2022 (Stelvin closure) |
| Wine Analysis | Alc:11% / pH: 2.98 / TA: 7.3 g/l | Cellaring | 1-6+ years |
| Residual Sugar | 28 g/l | Style | Medium-Dry |
Winemaking
The fruit for this classic example of Central Otago Riesling was hand-picked and whole bunch pressed. The initial free run juice (61%) was then racked, inoculated and cool fermented (15-17°C) in stainless steel to retain varietal purity. As the aim with the wine is to produce a delicate style where acidity is balanced by natural sugar, the ferments were stopped early by chilling, retaining 28 g/l sugar and therefore also a lower alcohol. The remaining pressings juice was allowed to ferment naturally in older French oak at warmer temperatures (18-20°C) to enhance the mineral and flint characters which also balance the wine’s sweetness.
