Wither Hills Wairau Valley Riesling

Freshly squeezed lemons, citrus pith, flint, subtle white peach with undertones of honey set the scene for our 2016 Marlborough Riesling.

Aromas

Freshly squeezed lemons, citrus pith, flint, subtle white peach with undertones of honey set the scene for our 2016 Marlborough Riesling.

Palate

The palate is superbly balanced with bright natural acidity providing poise and structure throughout, complementing the beautiful fruit weight on the mid palate and the succulent salty phenolics lurking in the background, giving texture and depth to an elegant pure wine.

Food Pairing

A perfect match with salt and pepper squid, fresh ceviche with lime and coriander as well as an array of fine cheeses.

Winemaking

The fruit for our Wither Hills Riesling comes from four key sites around Marlborough’s Wairau Valley, including our Rarangi coastal vineyard. Each of these sites were kept separate throughout the winemaking process to maintain vineyard integrity and provide the best possible blending components for this wine. The fruit was hand and machine picked, chilled overnight, gently pressed, ambient settled, racked and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeast strains to enhance the individual vineyard's aromas and flavours.

Viticulture

Frost alarms sounded throughout the spring months in Marlborough during the lead up to the 2016 vintage. Early November proved to be a particularly challenging time with hard frosts occurring when vine shoots had just escaped their buds. Fortunately we sustained minimal damage and the majority of the crop was left to ripen unhindered. This cold snap in early spring eventually gave way to warmer temperatures which persisted for the duration of the season and favourable conditions during flowering led to a successful fruit set.

A large rainfall event in the New Year gave vines a much needed drink and some reprieve from the drought conditions that had plagued the district over the previous 18 months. The warm conditions that continued during the Autumnal months meant there was little pressure during picking and that the grapes were ripe for picking when it came to harvest. With 2016 being one of the warmest seasons on record, the bountiful crops were given ample time to reach optimum maturity under marginal disease pressure.