MUSEUM RELEASE - R/15 Riesling 2015

Putting into practice the '7-year rule' here with a re-release of our 2015, from our 6th ever Vintage. 

For Riesling, the rule of thumb seems to be 7 years as a minimum before you consider it aged.

Here at Vinteloper, we have always been obsessed with cellaring our wines and pulling them out to showcase again in future.

Riesling is a white wine that really suits the bright fresh, drink-now vibe, while also paying back patience if you have it.

Made from exactly the same grapes as ODEON Riesling, the artistic framework here is nuture; to use all the tools available to tweak and tinker in the chase for perfection.

The 2015 was always a wine that filled us with pride. It represented the aggregation of marginal gains over the previous 5 seasons. The learnings and small adjustments yielded tangible improvements from previous releases.
It's that last 2% that is the hardest to achieve.

REMEMBERING 2015

It was an early vintage across the board. Likely driven by the generally dryer and warmer second half of 2014, the vines got out of bed early and were ahead of schedule for most of the season.

Vintage began for us with the harvest of this Riesling on the 11th of February.
Anything pre-Valentines day is always a bit of a shock, and by the end of February we had already harvested 65% of our crop for the season. 

FURTHER CELLARING TIME?

Absolutely. 7 years on you can see the 'green shoots' of aged Riesling beginning to develop. At this point in time the wine shows the best of its youth, blended with the aged character to come. Over the next 7 years those characters will continue to replace the youthful exuberance and that evolution will be incredible to behold. 

FROM ORIGINAL RELEASE
We always say that Riesling should feel like that first swim of the summer. The cold ocean water jolts you awake. The refreshment you feel is immediate and lingering. Riesling should be no different.

Jasmine, orange blossom and sweet lime aromatics. There's a crunchy mineral palate with a lean towards tropical fruit backed by fresh lime acidity and intense grapefruit pithiness.

It's tight. Intense.

FROM THE MUSEUM RELEASE.
Wow, that intensity still pops! There is a tiny hint of colour development suggesting a preview of what's to come.

There's that classic Bickfords lime cordial vibe playing against the minerality and crunch. Hints of cashew nuttiness, beeswax and honey.

Yep, there is some aged characteristics here, but there is also still a lot of freshness indicating this wine has some good times still to come.

The identical source block for all Vinteloper Riesling from 2010 to present day.
Single Vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley.
Planted 2000
Elevation 440m
Western RIdge.
E/W orientation
Soil: Red loam over limestone.
Grower: Greg Bryksy
Production: 5274 bottles
Label Art: @shazhong

The question we always ask with Riesling is; how ripe do you like your banana?

If you eat bananas you know. One day they are slightly green and underripe. In only one or two days they have turned and can show signs of being overripe.

Riesling behaves in a similar way, so harvest timing is absolutely essential. You've gotta eat your banana on exactly the right day.

In 2015 it went like this.

Vineyard visits every 2 days from 2nd February.
Harvest date: 11th February
Total harvest: 8 tonne.
Destemmed, crushed and pressed.
Settled naturally over 4 weeks followed by a long [8 week], cool, controlled fermentation.
Temperature held at 11-14C
100% stainless steel.
No fining. We embraced the textural edges on the palate.

Aged Riesling is a complex being, making the match somewhat subjective.

For us, it's an afternoon hang out, your favourite selection of cheese and Roy Ayers Radio.