Tasting Notes
Oak Valley Riesling expresses pleasing fruit aromas of white peach, litchi and pear. Fruit-forwardness follows on the palate with an abundance of fresh lemon, limes and green apple complemented by good textural viscosity and weight. The linear acidity cleanses the palate, keeping the natural sugars (11 g/l) in perfect balance creating a brilliantly refreshing wine.
In The Vineyard
Aspect: South-West facing slopes
Elevation: 460m
Soil type: Medium texture gravelly soils
Clone: 239
Rootstock: 101-14
Planting date: 2004 (Viognier)
Ha planted: 1.80 ha
Average tonnage: ±4 tons p/ha
Irrigation: Drip irrigation, post-harvest mostly
Vines per ha: 3400 vines
Trellis system: Extended Perold
About The Harvest
Fruit is harvested from this south-facing mountain block (0.80ha) planted in 2004 and grafted to Riesling in 2011. Situated ±460m above sea level, yields are low due to shallow soils and strong prevailing North-Westerly winds in spring. Grapes are harvested early morning and chilled to 7°C.
Harvest dates: 3 March 2015
In The Cellar
Bunches are hand sorted, de-stemmed, crushed and then undergo a period of skin contact in tank to enhance flavour extraction before going through a gentle pressing cycle. The juice is settled and racked before initiating fermentation. Tank fermentation occurs at a cool 10-14°C until the decision is taken to arrest fermentation based on a thorough sensory evaluation. The wine is left on the gross lees for ±4 weeks. Oak Valley purchased an additional 3.46t from Lothian Vineyards, in Elgin, and included this in the final blend. 1ha of Riesling has been planted in 2015 taking the total planting on Oak Valley to 1.8ha.
