Rieslingfreak No 44 Eden Valley Riesling 2021
Fruit for this Eden Valley Riesling is sourced from three different vineyards situated between Eden Valley and Flaxman’s Valley. Two vineyards in Flaxman Valley, being Ben Zander and Michael Mason. Milton Tscharke has a small vineyard located in the heart of the Eden Valley. The vineyards are situated approximately 500m above sea level, and an average yearly rainfall of 650mm. The soils vary from shallow grey sandy loam over shale rock, to loam soil over light-medium clay, with high quartz rock and gravel content. Each vineyard contributes something different to the wine. Eden Valley Rieslings often showcase delicacy and refinement. Rieslingfreak No.44 typically demonstrates this, with an aroma of citrus, talcum powder and white blossom, and flavors of lime and lemon, with a sweet spice background. The wine drinks well young but will reward with cellaring. Eden Valley Rieslings often showcase delicacy and refinement. This Riesling highlights the unique character of Eden Valley in a beautifully composed symphony of aromas and flavours. A sweetly perfumed bouquet of white flowers and sweet spice dance above ripe citrus notes of fresh lime and lemon zest. The palate is bright yet richly flavoured with the iconic slate-like minerality synonymous
with Eden Valley, providing ballast for the lifted citrus and sweet spice notes that run the length of the palate through to the crisp, lingering finish. A wine for immediate enjoyment and complementary to a range of cuisines.
93 points – Wine Advocate
93 points – Vinous
92 points – James Suckling
90 points – Decanter
The 2021 vintage was aseason of extremes. Spring gave us above average rainfall and was warm, while summer was cool and temperate. This combination was perfect for creating thriving grapevine canopies in the spring, and slow
ripening of the grapes over summer. This combination encouraged full flavour development at lower levels of sugar accumulation, while maintaining higher acid levels in the fruit. Grapes were machine harvested at night and fruit was in the winery by morning – the preferred method for Riesling. Instead of pressing his Riesling, John uses a spin and drain method, where they spin the press every 10 minutes, to extract the free run juice – this ensures that the berries are treated very softly, whilst maintaining the purity of the juice. The juice then settled for about 5 days. Once the juice was clear, and solids were settled at the bottom of the tank, the wine was racked and the juice was ready for fermentation. The wine was then fermented at around 55 degrees for 10-12 days, until it reached his desired sugar level, at which point the wine was chilled and sulfured, to stop the ferment. The Riesling was then hot and cold stabilized, to remove all haze and crystals, before being filtered and bottled. Time lapse from harvest to bottling is roughly 3 months. Wine was released soon thereafter, in June. This is a limited production of only 224 dozen.
