Commercial description

Upon opening a bottle, swirling the wine in a glass, let it breath in wine speak, and you discover welcoming, uplifting aromas of rich black cherry, dark plum and a subtle herbaceous hint of Vipers Bugloss flowers. Those all together evoke instantly a sensory picture of Central Otago.  The pleasant elusive bouquet uncovered intertwines beautifully with some subtle indication of mocha and spice, even a soupçon of wood smoke. The flavours revealed flow harmoniously onto the palate. The wine is richly textured and discloses an exquisite balance created by sensitive tension between refined acidity and velvety tannins. The warm, rich mouthfeel compliments the interaction between all elements and prolongs to a harmonious silky finish.

Commercial description

"A dark colour, captivating nose of blackberry, blackcurrant and blueberry and a lush, profound palate of fruit. All of this revolves around a truly assertive Rhône style with abundant yet fine, supple tannins and good salinity."

O Luar do Sil means: “The Reflection of the Moon on the river Sil” and the vineyards are located in the steep sided valley of the Sil river. This is 100% Godello and the grapes were harvested from two plots of granite soil near the Codos de Larouco.

Grapes are harvested by hand in the middle of September using 15kg crates. After destemming, they undergo a cold maceration below 8ºc to obtain the maximum expression of fruit. They are then pressed at low pressure and racked to remove the gross lees. The must is fermented using selected yeast for 14 days at a controlled temperature in stainless steel vats. After fermentation, the wine is kept of the fine lees for 6 months to gain richness, body and aromatic power, using batonage to redistribute the fine lees, after which it is naturally clarified.

Tasting Notes - A clean, bright colour with a glycerin rim in the glass. Subtly complex on the nose with white and wild flower notes. On the palate it shows great balance between fresh, green fruit and the ripeness of fine lees. Agreeable, complex and delicate with a predominating fruit and mineral sensation.

Tornatore’s Etna Rosso is a medium-bodied Sicilian wine with beautiful personality, aromas of wild berries, black cherries and spices, and a full, savory and juicy mouthfeel. It matures for about 12 months in large barrels and is characterized by excellent value for money.

VARIETY: Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio.

ETNA PRODUCTION AREA: northern slope in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia

GROWTH SYSTEM: Counter-espalier

PRUNING SYSTEM: Spurred Cordon

YIELD PER HECTARE: 70 qli

TIME OF HARVEST: 2nd and 3rd decade of October

AGING: About 6 months in large wooden barrels and about 3 months in bottle

Vinification
Grapes harvested by hand in small crates are brought quickly to the winery and undergo manual selection on a belt. De-stemmed and not totally crushed, they are sent to concrete tanks, where they macerate for about 10/12 days at a temperature of 22/25°C. Once fermentation is finished, the grapes are left to macerate for a few more days after which they are racked and pressed using a traditional vertical press.

Organoleptic Characteristics
Light ruby red with faint purplish reflections they, typical of the variety that is not very rich in color. Hints of small red fruits, morello cherry, black cherry are evident on the nose. The palate is distinguished by its typical balanced tannicity and surprising fullness, savoriness and length.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr (pronounced vay-len-er zon-en-ooer - The Sundial of Wehlen) is one of the greatest vineyards in the Middle Mosel. This precipitously steep, rocky vineyard consistently yields some of the most elegant and sophisticated white wines in the world. Citrus and white peach flavors predominate when the wines are young, turning to a pure expression of the mineral soil as they age.

Spatlese -  The Spatlese (late picked) designation means that the grapes get an extra week or two of hang time, which helps them develop higher ripeness and deeper flavours than Kabinett. 

Technical Info

Grape Variety: 100% Riesling

Appellation: Mosel

Quality level: Prädikatswein Spätlese 

VDP Classification: VDP.Grosse Lage

Vineayard: Wehlener Sonnenuhr

Soil: Blue slate soil

Viticulture: Sustainable, according to strict German environmental regulations

Picking method: Selective hand-picking

Blue Slate Soil is the most typical type of slate in the Middle Mosel. Rich in potassium, it provides vital nutrients to the vines and gives the wines a pronounced mineral edge that enhances the naturally high acidity of Riesling. In addition to the heat retaining blue slate soil, the vineyards are characterized by incredibly steep slopes, a favourable position near the river and excellent drainage.

Tasting Notes
Lime blossom, orange rind, white lotus flower and schist mineral notes on the nose lead to a spicy tightly textured palate expressing gorgeous poise, drive and balance.
About the Wine
An estate grown, single block selection made from grapes grown at our Two Paddocks’ Red Bank Vineyard in Alexandra, Central Otago, our Dry Riesling is a thought provoking expression of this location. A balance of acidity and dryness means it’s a perfect fit for food matches - the perfect counter-balance to a creamy pasta dish like a cabonara, the fresh saltiness of Oysters kilpatrick and holds its own against vibrant and spicy Asian dishes.

Vintage Comments
A mild, wet 2022 winter meant soils held a lot of water going into the spring and inter-row companion crops including clover, phacelia and barley got off to a strong start. Early spring was very cold and then as spring warmed up in November shoot growth was strong. Flowering started the first week in December and fruit set was considered good on most blocks. Mid-summer heat was high and growing degree days were above 2022 and on par with 2019 by the end of the season.

Picking dates were moving forward until the second half of March when the heat ran out and the final ripening was slow and cool. Harvest started on the 27th of March at Red Bank Vineyard and finished on the 21st of April at The First Paddock, Gibbston. Cropping levels were just short of the optimum 2022 crop.

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT - Crafted from a tiny half-hectare block of clone 110 at Two Paddocks Red Bank Vineyard at Earnscleugh, Central Otago, which consistently produces the ripest and most intense Riesling on the estate. All grapes are grown using organic principles, hand harvested and fermented in stainless steel.

The soils in this block are well draining schist loam and the vines tend to thrive. Additionally, the hot day time temperatures that Alexandra experiences over summer encourages riper stone fruit flavours, until late afternoon when the ‘Roxburgh Doctor’ wind arrives and causes a dramatic drop in temperature and hence the significantly cooler nights that the region is known for.

WINE MAKERS NOTE: Whole bunch pressed and then a light racking before fermentation. An indigenous fermentation which took 5 weeks at between 14-21 degrees Celsius. The wine was then held on light lees until it was racked and filtered for clarity and stabilisation prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes
Nectarine stone, honey dew and lemon zest on the nose lead to a rich creamy texture, finishing with freshness and poise. A fantastic aperitif style that is also well matched with richer dishes of cheese, pork, charcuterie, seafood and poultry.
About the Wine
Grown at Red Bank Vineyard, Alexandra and featuring the Proprietor’s Grandfather, Sydney Neill Wine Merchant, on the label, Picnic Riesling is our perennial favourite and a wonderful introduction to the pleasure of Central Otago Riesling. We think it is just as much a dinner wine as a luncheon – equally enjoyable at home outdoors, as at the Captain’s Table. Hand harvested and crafted in to a delicious refreshing off-dry style appealing to just about everyone on the planet.

Vintage Comments
A mild, wet 2022 winter meant soils held a lot of water going into the spring and inter-row companion crops including clover, phacelia and barley got off to a strong start. Early spring was very cold and then as spring warmed up in November shoot growth was strong. Flowering started the first week in December and fruit set was considered good on most blocks. Mid-summer heat was high and growing degree days were above 2022 and on par with 2019 by the end of the season.

Picking dates were moving forward until the second half of March when the heat ran out and the final ripening was slow and cool. Harvest started on the 27th of March at Red Bank Vineyard and finished on the 21st of April at The First Paddock, Gibbston. Cropping levels were just short of the optimum 2022 crop.

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT - Soils are schist based gravelly loams. Own roots – cane cuttings from Felton Road. Single cane, one bunch per shoot and very close planted at 5500 vines per hectare. Both shoot and lateral thinned to reduce crop load. Leaves that expose the grapes when ripening are also plucked off to increase sunlight exposure in to the vine canopy. Hand harvested.

WINE MAKERS NOTES - Hand harvested on the 17th April 2023 at 21 Brix and whole bunch pressed, meaning that the press was loaded with the grapes as intact bunches, versus removing the stems first. This pressed juice was then steeped on those skins (in wine language we call that ‘skin contact’) for 14 hours to extract aromatics and flavour and then it was inoculated with yeast and fermented to ‘just off-dry’ wine. We then left the wine sitting in tank on its lees (spent yeast cells that boost body and complexity) for three months before bottling. Please note the International Riesling scale on the back label.

Another banger in our ever growing Hungarian section. This one is a deep ruby colour in the glass and offers a nose of red and black fruits complexed by chocolate and mineral notes, leading to a palate of blackberry, leather and spice flavours. It was matured in large Hungarian oak casks for more than two years. There are some lovely gorgeous Bordeaux notes in this wine - Petit Verdot being one of the seasoning grapes often found at low percentages in a lot of Bordeaux. It isn't showy though, more of a thought provoking wine.

 An ideal match with dishes made of venison.

Tasting Notes
Nashi pear, nectarine, mead and spice greet the nose with a dry, textural and weighty palate, creating a complex and flavourful wine. Made in a dry style.

Vineyard
Moy Hall & Blue Earth vineyards
From low cropped 22 to 28-year-old vines

Vinification
Whole bunch pressed.

Dry on the palate, textured tropical orange, apricot and lemon, complex and full bodied with wonderful underlying spicy notes combining with rosemary, tarragon just a hint of vanilla and honeycomb.

Jurancon is an appellation in South-West France, near the Spanish border. Centered around the town of Pau it produces stunning white wines based on the native grapes of Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng.

The two grapes are related to each other- as the names imply Gros Manseng grapes are more robust and larger grapes, often used to make rich dry white wines. Petit Manseng smaller and low yielding, higher in acid and sugar with a higher skin-to-juice ratio.  Petit Manseng is more more in the sweeter wines of the region.  The two grapes grow together in harmony enjoying the same climate and terroir... often blended together to produce wines with floral, tropical, honey, citrus, and sweet spices in wines.  Wines of the Jurancon appellation must be at least half Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng.  There is a tiny amount of Petit Manseng grown in NZ.

Domaine Nigri sits at 300 meters elevation, facing the Pyrenees mountains, the heart of the Jurancon appellation.

TASTING NOTE 

Vibrant ruby red colour. with purple hues. Lifted aroma of redcurrants, cranberry, violet florals, leather and spice, hints of olive and chocolate flecks. It is young and a little brooding, slightly restrained, yet delicate.  A juicy and textural front palate is followed by plum, mouthcoating gravelly tannin that drives the length of the wine and mulberries dominating the mid palate. The wine opens up beautifully with time in the glass. A hint of savouriness and graphite bring yet more complexity. Made in a playful but serious style that suits a wide range of dishes or perfect on Its own. 

VINEYARD 

Cabernet Franc for this wine was sourced from 1988 plantings in the Isolation Ridge vineyard at Frankland Estate. The vineyard sits on an undulating northern and eastern facing slope on ancient duplex soils of ironstone gravel and loam over a clay sub-soil. It is certified organic farmed since 2009 and this is reflected in the depth and concentration of fruit flavours. The vines are trained on a Vertical Shoot Position (VSP) trellis system to enhance sunlight penetration of the canopy and optimize ripening conditions.  Cabernet Franc plays a huge role in our vineyard being the main component of our Olmos Reward, we find it suits our vineyard and region the best out of the Bordeaux varieties.

VINIFICATION 

Fruit was harvested in ideal conditions and fermented in shallow stainless steel open fermenters. The fruit is hand plunged to gently extract the tannin, keep the ferment as even as possible and maintain fruit purity. The wine is pressed off and aged on lees in 500L French oak puncheons and 1500L foudre for 10 months before bottling

Gavi is a wonderfully, mineral-driven white wine made in and around the eponymous township in south east Piemonte. The only difference between 'Gavi DOCG' and 'Gavi di Gavi DOCG' is that the latter can only be made of fruit grown within the borders of the Commune or township.  Other than that, they're identical wines and, more importantly, utterly delicious!  With its characteristic greenish tinge and notes of acacia flowers and green apple, it delivers a mineral-laden yet fruity wine with a bitter almond finish that pairs beautifully with all manner of dishes.

Barbera is the juicy popular everyday red wine from Piemonte in north west Italy but it can also be complex, layered and succulently good, like this great example. Aromas of spice and fresh cedar lead into a full bodied, rewardingly interesting and smooth Italian red.