Felton Road Bannockburn Riesling 2023

Felton Road Bannockburn Riesling, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, 2023 

Grape: 100% Riesling, organic/biodynamic, handpicked from Block 4 of the Elms vineyard on schist/gravel soil, indigenous yeast fermentation, 59g/l residual sugar (A low alcohol, medium-sweet "Spatlese" style)

Winemaker Tasting Note:

Brooding aromas of wet stones, stonefruits and hints of lanolin, make for a complexing introduction. The mouthfeel opens with a burst of sweetness which is immediately tempered by intense stonefruit flavours and crisp acidity. Like a perfectly tree-ripened Central Otago peach, the completeness and beauty of the flavours dissolves the sweetness and sings of our mountainous Bannockburn location.

Critics' Tasting Notes: 

"This was the finest Riesling on display, and I urge you to buy it, but only if you like off-dry styles. Spätlese in feel, with stunning balance and pristine fruit, this is a heavenly wine and one of the most lip-smacking vintages I can remember."

18.5/20 points, Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com, November 2023

"I guess we lean towards Europe when describing wines like this. The reference to Spätlese probably shines with use, but the wine's 59g/L of RS and initial struck-flint whiff of reduction do remind me of the style, so I guess I'll add to that patina. It's less uptight than the Germans, though. There is a generosity here; less dry extract, more slinky, peachy purity. Limey too and dripping with minerally chutzpah, finishing succulent, tangy and with pitch-perfect tension. A cracker."

96/100 points (GOLD), Dave Brookes, HALLIDAY, September 2024