Dry Riesling
2021
Felton Road is an astonishing overnight success story. In just over 20 years Felton Road has become the global benchmark for New World pinot noir and has played a massive role in making Central Otago a new buzzword in the world of wine. Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter is an exceptional character, blessed equally with intellectual brilliance and extreme modesty. He is a captivating and insightful speaker, with the special ability to articulate complex ideas in such a way that they are made to...
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Block 2 is an east facing gravel outwash fan situated on the Elms vineyard immediately to the north of Block 3. The soils are with very deep angular schist gravels with a thin loess covering. Riesling from Block 2 of The Elms vineyard was hand-picked then carefully whole bunch pressed, settled for 4 days before racking, then followed by a slow fermentation of 8 weeks with indigenous yeasts to almost complete dryness (5g/L RS). The wine rested on fine lees to build palate weight before bottling in early-September after minimal processing to preserve and highlight the delicate Riesling characters.
The nose explodes with spring blossom supported by ripe pear and melon. Surprisingly softly textured through the mid-palate for a dry Riesling that’s initially all fruit. But the vibrant acidity and mineral characters quickly kick in, adding seriousness and bringing it to a lengthy and satisfying close. Summer in a glass!
Pure, floral aromas of lime peel, peaches, flint and white blossoms. The palate is light-bodied with high-energy acidity, giving notes of yellow apples, candied lemon zest, tangerines and slate. Tense and refined with an underlying texture. Vibrant and tangy.
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Delightful fruit and floral notes of candied lime, green honeydew melon and peach blossom followed by meringue and a touch of wet stone minerality. Medium-bodied, mouthwatering acidity. Lively and vibrant. Firm. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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The delicate yet layered 2024 Riesling Dry shows fruit richness and floral tones. It is restrained and not showy, with concentration but not weight. Fine purity and savory notes of white talc meet touches of lees-derived pastry. The long finish offers balanced malic acidity and fine phenolics. This is delightful to drink now but will develop with time.
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The 2024 Dry Riesling is lean and austere, despite a distinct slick of residual sugar through the middle palate and finish. I find this to have salted lime, green apple, mint, lemongrass and acidity that is both fresh but also a little sour, with grapefruit, underripe green apple skin and lemon pith flavors. I find this vintage to be quite bracing, but many will love its conviction.
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