Riesling Bannockburn 2015

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2015 Felton Road Riesling Bannockburn – område: Bannockburn (Central Otago); drue: Riesling; alkohol 8.5%. Producentens noter (engelsk): Tasting note: Aromas of lychee and bright tropical fruit abound on the nose supported with ginger and cardamom. The palate leads with a mouth coating sweetness that’s immediately tempered by luxurious fruit and a vibrant acidity. A classically balanced wine of sweet fruit journeying to a well-proportioned mouth-watering freshness. The crisp and zesty finish offers a surprisingly drying sensation. Vineyard & viticulture: Felton Road farms four 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. Cool spring conditions resulted in bud burst a little later than usual and slow early season growth. The weather finally stabilised in time for flowering in midDecember. Low rainfall assisted with soil temperatures finally increasing causing a rapid growth surge. Peak temperatures continued to be high throughout January in the build up to veraison. Bunch compositions were overall of a good size although berry numbers were down in places. Temperatures were relatively moderate through February with warmish nights but more than double the monthly rainfall. Veraison was helped by the early warmth and achieved completion quickly. Vine and leaf condition held very well with no signs of stress or early shut down. Yields were normal with harvest starting on March 27. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were completed by April 11 after 8 consecutive days of fast picking with fine weather throughout. The last of the Riesling was picked on April 14. Vinification: Riesling from Blocks 2 and 4 of The Elms vineyard was carefully hand-picked, whole bunch pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts. The fermentation was stopped by chilling when the optimal balance was achieved between the acidity, alcohol and residual sugar (74g/L). Careful winemaking with minimal processing highlights the crisp natural acidity and the Riesling characters are delicately poised in the low alcohol of 8.5%.