Winemaker Notes
Pale lemon- green color. Aromas of tart apple, nectarine, citrus and white flowers. Lots of texture and concentration on the pallet with flavors of peach and lime balanced with a steely finish to offer perfect structure.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Taut and precise, mouthwatering and dry. Lime shot through with light peach and a dab of salt. From the same Red Bank Farm vineyard as the Picnic Riesling, but aged a little longer on the lees. Could take on spicy seafood or raw oysters. Will age well. Organic.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Dry Riesling is talc-y fresh on the nose, with lime blossom, dried thyme, citrus pith and bath salts. In the mouth, the wine is lyrical and structured, with shaved fennel, Granny Smith apple skin and white pepper through the finish. An elegant wine, it matured partly in neutral wood and has seven grams per liter of residual sugar. Grapes were sourced from the Red Bank Vineyard in Alexandra. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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.