Our Old Vines Riesling is made for those seeking a wine with elegance and a sense of place. Made exclusively from our 1978 Riesling plantings, its purity conveys all that is special about our historic, old vineyard – coupled with our team’s constant pursuit to craft world class wines.
Pale lemon in colour, the nose is evolved with bright lime, mandarin orange, cardamom, and feijoa, with a hint of kiwi and pine coming through as well. So complex. The palate is classically dry to the point of austerity, with wet stones, chalk, cloves, being lifted beautifully by notes of white flowers and lime pith. A core, zesty citrus line is present and carries the remarkable length and intriguing minerality we see in this release, year after year.
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Our 2021 vintage release is comprised of all four of our mature Riesling blocks on site, each planted in 1978 to Clone 21B. The greater part of this wine however was sourced from “Block 5”, a two-acre parcel that is bordered by ten acres of mature Ponderosa pine forest on its western and northern edges. The tall stand of pines buffer the late afternoon and evening sun, offering dappled light exposure and therefore slower ripening in late summer and early autumn.
Our Riesling blocks are typically last to harvest on site, as we await enough phenolic ripeness and that perfect moment when sugars have been achieved and the acidity is spot on. Once picked, the fruit is gently whole bunched pressed after a cool autumn eve overnight on the crush pad and once settled into tank, fermentation takes place at 11 to 12 degrees Celsius for typically a month and a half (45 days in this case). Very simple winemaking. As always, once bottled in the late winter, the wine enjoys a two year slumber in bottle before its release.
TECHNICAL INFO
100% Riesling
Alcohol: 12.7%
Residual Sweetness: 8.94 g/L
pH: 2.8
Total Acidity: 9.7 g/L
ACCOLADES
GOLD MEDAL - National Wine Awards of Canada 2024
93 points - Anthony Gismondi, Vancouver Sun and Gismondi On Wine
"The colour is as pale as the fruit is intense, pitching that limey mandarin profile that dominates. Dry and sophisticated, this is riesling at its best. The 2021 vintage is made from all four of the oldest riesling blocks, each planted in 1978 to Clone 21B. However, the largest part comes from Block 5, a two acre parcel pushed up against ten acres of mature Ponderosa pine forest on its western and northern edges, providing late day protection from the strongest sun of the afternoon and evening."
93 points - David Lawrason, National Wine Awards Canada 2024
"For years 'old vines' has been a beacon for Okanagan riesling, with vines planted in 1978. The 2021 is a powerful wine with cracking acidity and minerality, but this is not at all evident on the nose which blooms with classic riesling apricot, lemon, linden and spice. It is medium weight with a full-on fruit entry then comes the on-rush of lemony, tart acidity, and a hint of sweetness. Fruit powers through toward outstanding length. This wine will live for years, becoming more honeyed and complex. Tasted July 2024."
92 points - Elise Macdonald, Master of Wine, NWAC 2024
"Charming aromas of citrus peel and blossoms. Citrus and pithy on the palate. Lovely chew to the texture and extended length. Very respectable for its varietal expression as well as being food-friendly and well, delicious."
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VINTAGE NOTES
After a few recent winters with remarkably cold weather events, we managed to emerge from the 2020/21 winter without much cold damage to our vineyards. Bud break fell on the early end of the long-term average, fueled by warm spring temperatures and marginal rainfall, conditions that would persist until summer. The 2021 heat dome (we measured a temperature high of 48.5C on site) coincided with flowering in the vineyard. The extreme heat at such a sensitive time in the grapes’ development resulted in smaller than average berries and clusters and
lower yields.
Smoky August skies slowed berry ripening and pushed harvest back from what would have been a record early start on our site. Harvest kicked o in early September and the weather stayed warm with little precipitation for the rest of the month, allowing us to pick our fruit at peak ripeness and flavour and wrap up harvest on October 5th, two weeks earlier than our average end date, making for a remarkably short and busy harvest season!
