Botrytis Riesling 2018
Regular price
$148.00
Sale
Indulge in the unmatched richness of our Botrytis Riesling, nurtured organically in our vineyard. Through three meticulously timed passages, we handpick grapes precisely at the peak of botrytis infection and as Trockenbeerenauslese. This painstaking process, though labour-intensive and fraught with risk, results in a wine of unparalleled richness and luscious flavour that promises to enchant your palate.
Vintage 2018+
A long, dry growing season with exceptional sunshine ripened the Riesling to perfection, and January brought some of Marlborough’s warmest temperatures on record. We harvested the grapes for this dessert wine over three late-May passes, beginning with the first botrytis-affected fruit and continuing only as noble rot developed, carefully avoiding grey rot. A portion of the grapes naturally shrivelled on the vine (Trockenbeerenauslese), adding further complexity to the blend. With a tiny yield of just 150g per vine, the labour required is immense and rarely economical, but the result is a rare sweet wine of extraordinary depth and purity, proof that true botrytis wines are only made when nature allows.
Crafting sweet wines is an art that balances nature’s unpredictability with our pursuit of perfection. Over the years we’ve attempted this in several vintages, but many were lost, leaving only a select few, like the outstanding 2018, to produce a rare sweet wine of incredible depth and complexity. The most challenging wines are made naturally in the vineyard, where perfectly ripe grapes are left exposed, hoping for a long, dry autumn and gentle morning mist from the Wairau River to encourage noble rot. Late autumn rainfall, however, can turn noble rot into grey rot and ruin the fruit, so it remains, quite simply, a gamble.
Hans' Comment+
The whole bunches were gently pressed and transferred straight into a single French puncheon for fermentation. With abundant residual sugar, fermentation was slow and took about two months. I then let the wine mature in the puncheon for a further seven months, allowing it to develop its full depth and character.
Tasting Notes+
A seductive dessert wine that reveals layers of sweetness with remarkable poise. The bouquet opens with honeyed aromas, ripe apricot, and stonefruit, lifted by a bright thread of orange zest. The palate is lush and concentrated, yet finely balanced by lively acidity, giving the wine a graceful structure rather than heaviness. There’s a quiet intensity here, refined, not loud, with a finish that lingers long, leaving a lasting impression of depth and purity.
Technical Data
| Variety | 100% Riesling |
| Rootstock | 3309 |
| Vine Planted | 2004 |
| Soil | Shallow (<45 cm) well drained alluvial deposits. Planted at the end of the row towards the river where the sandy gravelly soil is mixed with clay and able to retain more moisture. |
| Planting Density | 6,000 vines/ha |
| Yield | 150 g per vine |
| Alcohol | approx. 11.5% |
| Residual Sugar | approx. 180g/L |
| Ageing Potential | 20+ years |
| Bottles Produced | 640 (one barrel only) |
Food Matching Suggestions+
Duck liver terrine, blue cheeses, fruity desserts or simply indulge on its own.