Dry Riesling 2008

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2008 Felton Road Dry Riesling – område: Bannockburn (Central Otago); drue: Riesling. Producentens noter (engelsk): Tasting note: Intense aromas of pear, citrus and floral characters lead to flavours of mandarin and classic Riesling spice. Vibrant, mineral and crisp on the palate with sufficient fruit weight and texture that tapers to a long and dry finish. A classic dry style of Riesling. Vineyard & viticulture: Felton Road farms three properties totaling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to improve soil health and general biodiversity The season started with good soil moistures after a relatively wet spring. Warm, stable and sunny weather during flowering resulted in a successful fruit set with moderate to large crops. Above average rainfall throughout the summer months led to healthy canopies with a much decreased dependence on irrigation, and in parts of the vineyard with heavier soils, no irrigation for the whole growing season. Cool night time temperatures leading up to the harvest slowed the ripening so that harvest proceeded over a 4 week period starting on March 25. The harvest period was very dry and the fruit was, as usual, in very good condition. Grapes for this Riesling were harvested at Calvert vineyard on March 26 and April 1. Thankfully, vintage was completed by April 23 after which the weather turned very cold with unseasonal snow in the vineyards and heavy rain at the end of April. Vinification: Riesling from Calvert vineyard was carefully whole bunch pressed, settled overnight, racked, then a long slow fermentation (6-9 weeks) with indigenous yeasts to almost complete dryness (6.5g/L RS) that balances the natural crisp acidity. The wine rested on fine lees to build palate weight and with minimal processing to highlight the delicate Riesling characters before bottling in September.