Riesling 2024
Riesling was one of the original varieties planted at Olive Tree Hill vineyard in 1976. The beauty of this variety from our site is in the way it expresses the character and complexity of our unique limestone rich soils
- Viticulture
- Winemaking
- Tasting Note
- Reviews
Bannockburn Riesling is made predominantly from an acre of vines at Olive Tree Hill planted in 1976 on own roots, which sits at the top of the north facing slope. Included in the blend is a small vineyard planted in 2015 as an extension of the Winery Block.
Handpicked fruit was whole bunch pressed, settled over night, and racked to tank for temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel. After fermentation the wine was racked to stainless steel for a 3-month maturation on lees prior to bottling.
This 2024 Riesling offers a focused aroma of citrus, musk, lemongrass and white flowers. On the palate the saline quality comes into play, with crisp white pepper and chalky talc characters. Flavours of cucumber in tonic water, slate and stone are also present. A refreshing and mouthwatering wine with lovely tension and drive which will continue evolve with time in bottle.
2023 Vintage
The 2023 growing season started off cold and wet. For the first time since 2011 our dam was full, and in fact overflowed for most of October and November (rainfall for the calendar year of 2022 was 800mm). Budburst was slightly behind average timing, but crops were down significantly: the bunch counts were low in the first place, we had a mild frost in September and the wet weather finally caught up with us via downy mildew. The rain stopped at the end of December.
The overall heat accumulation was the same (1338 Growing Degree Days) as 2021, both seasons on the slightly cooler side of average but differing in that the heat for 2023 was more toward the second half of the season. Veraison occurred in February and then we picked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling in March, and Shiraz and Cabernet/Merlot in the first week of April. The picking weather was pleasant and the fruit arrived at the winery in very good condition.
While quantity was down (especially in Pinot Noir) quality was good: fresh acidity, concentration, colour, tannin and steady fermentations have us looking forward to bottling, and seemingly warmer and drier seasons as El Niño returns.
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