2022 Butcher’s Hill Riesling

3.10

8.04 g/L

5 months maturation on fine lees in oak prior to bottling.

Dry

The lead-up to 2022 vintage included one of the wettest winters on record, a cool drying spring into summer with high humidity. All these factors led to healthy canopies and bunch numbers. The cool conditions, especially around the time of flowering resulted in some poor fruitset in earlier flowering varieties. This delivered a combination of small and large size berries to form reducing the overall yields and intake in those varieties. The vintage started a couple of days later than usual, but with the high humidity/lowered diurnal range, our late ripening varieties were picked slightly earlier than usual. Overall, a quality vintage.

The Butchers Hill Vineyard located in Richmond at the historic Belmont Lodge was established in 2003. The vineyard is a prominent feature to the Richmond landscape as it protrudes from the borders of the town. The steep north facing slope of this site starting from 30m-100m above sea level means that it receives some very long sunlight hours, protection from cold southern winds and increased drainage of soils. The ferricrete attribute of the soils not only hold heat and water longer as they are darker but the iron oxide also interacts with the production of flavonoids in the fruit and typically produces wines that are complex and robust. There are currently 6ha of vine planted on this property in total.

Whole-bunch pressed to tank. Inoculated fermentation (TXL strain) in stainless steel for 14 days. 5 months maturation on fine lees in 5 year old French oak puncheons.

Aromas of citrus blossom, jasmine, and mineral on the nose. Notes of preserved lemon, under-ripened pear and kafir lime follow through on the palate. A slight note of talc, persists with a full mouth-feel and continuous acid.

2022 Butcher’s Hill Riesling Technical Note.pdf