Stephanie in Watervale Riesling Vineyard
A Sensational Vintage! Three delicious wines
“2022 was a sensational vintage – even better than the exemplary 2021, due to a touch more concentration of flavour in the wines. It’s both exciting and very satisfying for me to release these 2022 wines because this vintage is the first in four years where the crops have been reasonable. I hope you enjoy the wines.”
Stephanie.
2022 WATERVALE RIESLING
This wine is distinctive for many reasons. One is that the Mount Horrocks Riesling Vineyard is on a gentle slope, facing south. Combined with the high altitude, this makes it a particularly cool spot, ideal for retaining freshness and a crisp palate while allowing generous fruit flavours to develop.
Then there is the biodynamic and organic certification – strictly no chemical input here or in the surrounding land, also owned by Mount Horrocks. In what is now often considered ‘old fashioned’ all fruit is hand harvested – better for the vines as well as the fruit which is then delivered to the winery in a pristine state.
The 2022 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling is a beautiful, delicious wine, its concentration reflecting the carefully managed crop load and excellent health of the vines and soil. The intensity of flavour and balance this wine exhibits are a delight – a convincingly drink-me-now wine that will age beautifully.
Enticing spring florals and lime.
Delicate, coiled spring-like ready to expand with time. Classic citrus and mineral tones, all texture and length, vibrant and moreish.
Will age in the long term: 15 years plus.
2022 CORDON CUT RIESLING
“This is my 30th vintage of Cordon Cut and I am delighted with the outcome. A highly risky and complex process, the making of this wine is very much about seat-of-pants decision making and this is where the experience of 30 vintages certainly helps!” says Stephanie. The high-risk part comes after the canes that feed the fruit are cut – causing that fruit to concentrate – effectively using the vine as a drying rack for the fruit. Much depends on the weather conditions that follow – sunny and dry conditions work wonders; wet, cold or windy conditions all bring challenges. Stephanie uses intuition to decide the day to harvest.
This is a unique, delicious, concentrated wine that delivers all the hallmarks of riesling – citrus, florals and spice; beautifully expressed through an intense yet perfectly balanced palate and a pristine, clean finish.
Super lively, lifted candied citrus nose, spring florals.
Intense, essence of riesling – orange and lime zest, apricot and musk. Beautifully textured, with a fine acid backbone to balance the rich sweetness, which is not at all cloying.
Age worthy (8-10 years) but impossible to resist right now. A great Cordon Cut.
2020 ROSÉ
This couldn’t be more straightforward; harvest red grapes when they have crisp fresh flavours (but not under-ripe) and extract the juice with just a touch of colour; the faintly pink hue indicating fresh flavours of a young white wine with an extra dimension of red hues and a hint of red berry flavours. Perfect for drinking now, this is the epitome of this increasingly popular dry style of Rosé.
“My favourite afternoon tea wine” jokes Stephanie as she enjoys a glass whilst preparing chilli prawns and mussels provencale.
Crazy pretty pink – oh so delicate. Juicy notes of cranberry and blood orange, with a lime cordial citrus edge and generous red berries. Super crisp and refreshing, dry and palate cleansing, urging you to enjoy more. Drink now, don’t bother cellaring.
Preparation of Cow Pat pit
