Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Mature Vine Riesling leads with saffron and candlewax, lanolin and wet straw on the nose. On the palate, the wine has white pineapple husk, fennel, licorice and jasmine tea. It's all wild ferment here, crushed under foot, skin soaked for two days, pressed whole cluster. A small portion of the wine is put into small tank for a very slow, very cool ferment, while the majority of it goes wild and hot in a bigger tank until dry. The small portion is stopped once it has achieved a balance that they are happy with, and the two components are blended at the end, each to complement the other. It creates this textural, attractive wine that, at nine years from its harvest, in true Rippon style, is just starting to come into its own.
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Wine Enthusiast
Like Rippon itself, which perches in solitude at the edge of Lake Wanaka, 35 miles north of Central Otago, the wines are singular, inimitable evocations of the water, mountains and schist soils of this historic biodynamic farm. This Riesling sings with a honeyflecked orchard fruit aroma and bright minerality. The palate reveals layer upon layer of pear, honeysuckle and crushed stone, all sitting on a chalky texture and crunchy acidity.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.