Our Den’s Block Riesling is a special wine for our team, and made to honour our dear friend and BC wine industry pioneer, Daniel Martin Dulik - affectionately known to his friends and peers as Den.
After Den’s passing in 2016, we knew we needed to make a wine to celebrate his contribution - not only to Tantalus, but to our industry as a whole. Having owned and operated Pioneer Vineyards in Southeast Kelowna for several decades (where Tantalus now sits), Den established some of the earliest vinifera in Canada, planting Riesling sourced from the Weis family of Mosel's St. Urban-Hofs winery back in 1978. He then went on to plant parcels of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier in the mid-80’s, continuing experimentation with riskier, noble varieties at the time. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Den and family for their pioneering spirit!
TASTING NOTES
A deep pale gold in colour, our Den’s Block bottling is a very complex expression of Tantalus Riesling. Brimming with aromas of crab apple, fresh lemon and jasmine. A touch of minerality and a “diesel” character has developed in the background as a result of its two year bottle rest in our cellar prior to release.
The palate is broad yet focused, with a myriad of flavours: lime, ginger, lemon curd and pomelo in the foreground, with blood orange, wet moss and a salty complexity lingering in the background. Great length here, and no shortage of Tantalus acidity.
WINEMAKING NOTES
The fruit for this 2022 Riesling was selected from a handful of rows of our Block 5, Clone 21B 1978 Riesling plantings. Clusters were handpicked and upon reaching the cellar, gently whole-bunch pressed. Fermentation took place following inoculation, in neutral oak puncheons at 15 degrees Celsius and was then arrested in the first window of balance. Winemaking was inspired by Den's love of sweetness in Riesling, and made in a Mosel Spätlese style (with 60 grams of RS per litre), also as a nod to the parent material of the vines planted. Bottling occurred after five months on lees. The wine was then aged for two years in bottle before its release.
TECHNICAL INFO
Varietal: 100% Riesling
Alcohol: 9.8%
Residual Sweetness: 60.9 g/L
pH: 2.84
Total Acidity: 10.6 g/L
-
VINTAGE NOTES
The 2022 growing season produced some exceptional quality grapes and resulting wines. The winter of 21/22 was harsh, with many vines exhibiting primary bud damage following a cold snap of -26.5 around Christmas. Above average rainfall in May charged the soil with water and gave the vines everything they needed to hit the ground running after a long winter and late bud break. The rain continued into June meaning no irrigation was needed for the vines till much later than average and allowed the cover crop to flourish.
Summer was relatively mild though some hot spells in late July and early August helped push the season along. September and October were perfect for developing flavours in the grapes while not having too much sugar produced. This resulted in beautifully balanced wines with moderate alcohol.
