Marlborough is white wine country and while it's mostly all about Sauvignon and Chardonnay, this spectacular new dry-ish Riesling is full of deliciously zingy flavours of lemon zest, fresh apples and ripe peach, coupled with an intensely lingering, flavoursome finish.

This wine is intensely aromatic on the palate and has lingering flavours with a crisp dry finish.

The north facing Ashmore Vineyard receives all day sun and that, coupled with cool Marlborough nights, makes for ideal cool climate growing conditions for the Riesling grapes that are grown on the free draining, deep alluvial silt, overlying clay sub soils. Ashmore Vineyard was planted in 1997 with conversion to organics beginning in 2009 and full certification from Bio-Gro in 2012.

Vinification

Our Estate grown grapes are hand harvested, then whole bunch pressed gently over several hours. The must settled overnight before being racked off gross solids taking only fluffy lees. Fermentation is allowed to proceed slowly at low temperature and stopped when the sugar, acid, alcohol and phenolics are in balance. We hold the wine at a cool temp for the remainder of it’s time in the cellar to retain its natural co2 spritz from primary ferment. The wine is racked and spends 6 months on fine lees before bottling.

Wine

Pale green gold and silver streaks. Delicate notes of apple blossom, honeysuckle, mandarin zest with mineral undertones.On the palate - lime oil, fleshy stone fruits, ripe red delicious and tangerine peel. Bright acidity gives the palate freshness and is balanced with generous fruit sweetness. These aspects are accentuated by the natural spritz retained from fermentation which give a lift in the midpalate. The reprise is long and lingering with a satisfyingly crisp clensing texture.

Tech

Parcel 1: Picked 31/03/23 pH: 2.96 TA: 9.20 Brix: 20.5

Parcel 1: Picked 04/04/23 pH: 2.92 TA: 9.20 Brix: 21.7

Final Wine: Bottled 28/03/24 pH: 2.86 TA: 8.17 Alc: 10.3% RS 27.8g/L

“This wine is a time capsule for the last harvest of Riesling off its site and I was happy to capture its electricity in a bottle. There’s something about the way Waitaki tastes in Riesling that is pure magic! Limestone expressing itself in the form of crackling acidity and chalk, you can taste the shape of the soil through the wine, it becomes so physical. This place may be small but she is mighty and every part of the region has Riesling gold to mine and create what I believe is the best Riesling outside of Germany. The name “Amplitude” came to Ian when I was describing how I feel this magnetic pull every time I get close to the Waitaki, followed by this electric current running through me. The feeling is so similar to how the wines taste, it’s crazy. Ian works at the beautiful old Kurow Power Station and so “Amplitude” seemed fitting.” – Sierra Reed

Tasting Note: Jasmine, lime zest, oyster shell, grass, tinned pineapple, and chalkiness create the bones of the wine. Whilst a sharp line of acid brings tension and focus and the residual sugar creates the movement and shape. The interplay between acid, RS and phenolics is key in Riesling and there is a balance that must be achieved to weave them seamlessly so they move together with a oneness. The beauty of this wine is the purity it expressed from juice through to ferment, it’s crystalline.

Winemaking Notes: Foothill Groves Vineyard, growers Ian and Helen Dent. Wild yeast, 30 g/l residual sugar, TA 12.03. 700 litres total production.

Alcohol: 10.4%

Variety: Riesling

Region: Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand

Bright, tangy riesling in a medium-dry style with green apple, oyster shell, lime zest/citrus and quince flavours supported by mouth tingling, fruity acidity. Good purity and a lingering finish.

Green apple on the nose, with tangy fruit, citrus, peach and nectarine on the palate.  With vibrant acidity and aromatic intensity, this off-dry wine has the ability to reflect the terroir.

Classic dry Alsace Riesling. Hand picked from Riquewihr vineyards. Matured on fine lees for 4 months, no oak.  cropped to Grand Cru levels bringing superb concentration. Green apple, lime, dried pineapple, waxed honey, generous length and pleasing minerality.

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
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.

The 2021 GCV White Hut Riesling continues to showcase the subregion where our well-renowned vineyard is located.

A delicate and fruit-driven Riesling with a long, fine palate.

GCV White Hut is named after a small sub region of the Clare Valley located just North of the Clare Township. With a high altitude of over 400m above sea level, consisting of undulating valleys and hills the region is well known for producing grapes of the highest quality. Enjoyable in its youth but carefully cellared will continue to evolve over the next 10 years.

Tasting Notes
The colour is a youthful pale straw with bright green hues. The aromatics are fruit driven with citrus, lemon pith and mandarin peel characters. The palate is delicate with a lemon flavour profile and a texture reminiscent of meringue. Long and fine, the palate lingers effortlessly. A high quality wine made to drink in its youth or for those that prefer, cellar for another 10 years.

Technical Details
Region
100% Clare Valley, South Australia.
One of Australia's oldest and most premium wine regions, famous all around the world for it's Riesling and Shiraz wines in particular

Vineyard
Single vineyard

Varietal
100% Riesling

The 2020 GCV White Hut Riesling is a new entrant to the Gaelic Cemetery portfolio, an opportunity to showcase the subregion where our well renowned vineyard is located.

GCV White Hut is named after a small sub region of the Clare Valley located just North of the Clare Township. With a high altitude of over 400m above sea level, consisting of undulating valleys and hills the region is well known for producing grapes of the highest quality. Enjoyable in its youth but carefully cellared will continue to evolve over the next 10 years.


Tasting Notes
The colour is pale straw with vivid green hues. Lifted aromatics showcase a pure expression of lemon pith with subtle notes of jasmine and citrus blossom. Flavour wise the palate has zesty lime juice and lemon grass flavours with a long chalky, mineral like acidity providing freshness, structure and length.

Technical Details
Region
100% Clare Valley, South Australia.
One of Australia's oldest and most premium wine regions, famous all around the world for it's Riesling and Shiraz wines in particular

Vineyard
Single vineyard

Varietal
100% Riesling

Superbly refreshing, floral aromas with lime and honeysuckle. Off-dry, with a balanced acidity, fresh mineral flavours and a hint of apple
Great for that summer lunch

Cameron Douglas MS 93/100
A lovely wine in an off-dry expression. Aromas and flavours of green apple and lemon pith, honeysuckle and lime-flower. The sweetness is perfectly placed against a backdrop of acidity and ripe citrus and apple flavours. Balanced and well made, crisp and lengthy, a great aperitif style for Summer 2024.

Bob Campbell MW 93/100
"Medium-dry riesling with saline/oyster shell, lemon blossom, lime, and wild flower flavours. Initial sweetness is balanced by refreshing acidity which helps drive a lingering finish and creates mouth-tingling tension. Intense wine with cellaring potential"

Abbazia di Novacella 'Praepositus' Riesling is a dry, white, semi-aromatic wine from Italy's Trentino Alto Adige region. It is a straw yellow colour with golden highlights, and aromas of pineapple, peach, yellow pulp fruit, honey and flint. The palate is linear, racy and savoury, with strong minerality.

The grapes for this wine come from the Conca di Bressanone in the province of Bolzano, at altitudes between 650 and 750 meters above sea level. The wine is vinified and aged in stainless steel, and is a regular winner of the Tre Bicchieri award.

The Abbazia di Novacella wine estate dates back to 1142, and has been an important cultural and spiritual center since medieval times