Mining for minerals in a cold climate.
Stark skies chilled crystal clear. Cold so bitter your leather boots turn brittle. Thick white frost cracking under foot as you head to the vines to prune. A thankless task when you can’t feel your fingers.
This is where rubber hits the road for the start of the next vintage and despite the smell of the cold in your nose you can already smell the citrus notes, the delicate honeysuckle and wet river rocks that rise from a glass of perfectly balanced, beautiful Bannockburn Riesling brimming with flint and minerality.
The coldest winter precedes the summer season - a season that confronts with days that bake and nights that cool both in the extreme. This is cold climate winemaking.
South Island. Central Otago. Bannockburn.
44.9566° S, 169.3988° E
This is Riesling country.
The vineyards where our Riesling grows sit on Renshaw Ridge above the Bannockburn inlet. Ancient geology millions of years in the making. The site is steep and north east facing with windblown schist loess over bedrock schist.
2018 | After a brutal and haunting long winter came spring and then the hottest summer on record since 1956. The heat was unrelenting. Flowers and fruit set sorted. February brought rain and respite for the vines.
This is a Riesling year.
“This invitingly fragrant wine is light and vivacious with strong lemon-lime flavours, gentle sweetness and fresh acidity. Already delicious. ”
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