St. Andrews

Riesling 2009

Hedonistic and tightly focused, this exceptionally balanced wine displays lemon, lime and a seamless spine of natural acidity leading to a finish of extraordinary length.

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Wine details

Tasting Notes

At release, the wine is a very pale straw colour with a slight green tinge to the edge.

This is a tight, restrained yet quite potent Riesling with zesty lime and the smell of fresh citrus. Faint hints of tropical fruit are evident. At release, the aroma is still quite closed like a tightly knitted ball however I feel it will open graciously

The palate is quite powerful and rich which bodes well for its future, although again, at release it is still tight and restrained yet with a substantial presence across the palate. Superior examples of Clare Riesling often have a generous mid palate and this does which is backed up by a persistent and steely finish.

At release, the wine is a very pale straw colour with a slight green tinge to the edge. This is a tight, restrained yet quite potent Riesling with zesty lime and the smell of fresh citrus. Faint hints of tropical fruit are evident. At release, the aroma is still quite closed like a tightly knitted ball however I feel it will open graciously with time. The palate is quite powerful and rich which bodes well for its future, although again, at release it is still tight and restrained yet with a substantial presence across the palate. Superior examples of Clare Riesling often have a generous mid palate and this does which is backed up by a persistent and steely finish.
Vinification

The aim is to craft a wine of delicacy and finesse that will age well. To this end, the juice was extracted using gentle whole berry pressing to protect the delicate fruit flavours and prevent any extraction of course tannin. It is then chilled quickly to just under 10„aC. The entire process occurring within ~15 minutes of harvest to ensure the true varietal and regional characters are captured and retained. The juice was allowed to cold settle for 24 hrs before being racked off gross lees. A cool fermentation was carried out in stainless steel vessels, using a relatively neutral yeast strain to preserve varietal characteristics. The fermentation was completed to a natural level of dryness. Post fermentation, minimal settling enzymes were used to retain some fine solid particles in the ferment; this provides natural texture and complexity. Minimal fining and filtration was employed prior to bottling in December 2009.
Vintage conditions

Vintage 2009 was near on perfect. It was characterized by optimal growing conditions ¡V warm days (average max temp 31.8), and cool nights (average min temp 4.4C). The growing season for 2009 began with soil moisture levels at or near full capacity due to the very welcome rains in August 2008. Mild weather continued during December and January, gradually warming to the point where we experienced ¡¥that heat-wave'. Thankfully, due to December rainfall, the vines had not yet begun veraison, so in the heat, they simply shut down for about 10 days. Strong canopies protected the fruit and mature leaves withstood the high temperatures. Fortunately, when the heat subsided the region entered a period of perfect ripening weather with mild days and cool nights. The new winery facility with greater whole berry pressing capacity was completed in time for vintage 2009 and this, along with the optimum vintage conditions means that across the board, the white wines from this vintage are considered to be quite outstanding. Riesling fared exceptionally well and the resulting wines are stunning; showing pure, focused fruit flavours and tight acidity.

St Andrews vineyards, block A80 and A81, planted with the clones GM239, GM198, and 'Pewsey Vale'. Small quantities were also selected from the 'Old Land Contours', blocks S70 and S60.
Vineyard

Clare Valley
Technical details
- Acid: 7.22
- Alc %: 12.6
- PH: 2.95
- Residual Sugar: 0.91
Cellaring Notes

Under ideal conditions this wine should cellar well to 2019, possibly longer.

Colour At release, the wine is a very pale straw colour with a slight green tinge to the edge.

NoseThis is a tight, restrained yet quite potent Riesling with zesty lime and the smell of fresh citrus. Faint hints of tropical fruit are evident. At release, the aroma is still quite closed like a tightly knitted ball however I feel it will open graciously

PalateThe palate is quite powerful and rich which bodes well for its future, although again, at release it is still tight and restrained yet with a substantial presence across the palate. Superior examples of Clare Riesling often have a generous mid palate and this does which is backed up by a persistent and steely finish.

Winemaker NotesAt release, the wine is a very pale straw colour with a slight green tinge to the edge. This is a tight, restrained yet quite potent Riesling with zesty lime and the smell of fresh citrus. Faint hints of tropical fruit are evident. At release, the aroma is still quite closed like a tightly knitted ball however I feel it will open graciously with time. The palate is quite powerful and rich which bodes well for its future, although again, at release it is still tight and restrained yet with a substantial presence across the palate. Superior examples of Clare Riesling often have a generous mid palate and this does which is backed up by a persistent and steely finish.

The aim is to craft a wine of delicacy and finesse that will age well. To this end, the juice was extracted using gentle whole berry pressing to protect the delicate fruit flavours and prevent any extraction of course tannin. It is then chilled quickly to just under 10„aC. The entire process occurring within ~15 minutes of harvest to ensure the true varietal and regional characters are captured and retained. The juice was allowed to cold settle for 24 hrs before being racked off gross lees. A cool fermentation was carried out in stainless steel vessels, using a relatively neutral yeast strain to preserve varietal characteristics. The fermentation was completed to a natural level of dryness. Post fermentation, minimal settling enzymes were used to retain some fine solid particles in the ferment; this provides natural texture and complexity. Minimal fining and filtration was employed prior to bottling in December 2009.

Vintage 2009 was near on perfect. It was characterized by optimal growing conditions ¡V warm days (average max temp 31.8), and cool nights (average min temp 4.4C). The growing season for 2009 began with soil moisture levels at or near full capacity due to the very welcome rains in August 2008. Mild weather continued during December and January, gradually warming to the point where we experienced ¡¥that heat-wave'. Thankfully, due to December rainfall, the vines had not yet begun veraison, so in the heat, they simply shut down for about 10 days. Strong canopies protected the fruit and mature leaves withstood the high temperatures. Fortunately, when the heat subsided the region entered a period of perfect ripening weather with mild days and cool nights. The new winery facility with greater whole berry pressing capacity was completed in time for vintage 2009 and this, along with the optimum vintage conditions means that across the board, the white wines from this vintage are considered to be quite outstanding. Riesling fared exceptionally well and the resulting wines are stunning; showing pure, focused fruit flavours and tight acidity.

St Andrews vineyards, block A80 and A81, planted with the clones GM239, GM198, and 'Pewsey Vale'. Small quantities were also selected from the 'Old Land Contours', blocks S70 and S60.

Clare Valley

Acid: 7.22

Alc %: 12.6

PH: 2.95

Residual Sugar: 0.91

Under ideal conditions this wine should cellar well to 2019, possibly longer.

Reviews

Clare Valley and Surrounding Regions

8 Jan 2012

4.5 stars

Lovely toasty development on the nose with typical kero-Iike notes. Excellent rounded flavours with plenty of length and freshness. A classic style.

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James Halliday,

1 Jan 2014

95

First tasted over 2 years ago when it was halfway to maturity, and has fulfilled the promise it then had, it offers and impressive array of citrus and lightly browned toast, with a latticework of acidity to hold the palate together for many years yet. Screwcap 12.5% alc

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