TASTING NOTE
Pretty, lifted florals, kaffir lime, lemongrass but with extreme delicacy and persistence,
chalk and flint. The medium-bodied palate has incredible delicacy and a gentle succulence;
sumptuous mouth feel. A sensation of crystalline juice running over pebbles with
tantalizing lees complexity. Soft, pure, and almost ethereal, the lovely resolved acidity gives
excellent length and persistence
Riesling possesses the hallmark traits of great dry Riesling. With its restrained power and
coiled tension, the wine will age for at least 15 years.
2023 VINTAGE
A very wet winter gave us good soil moisture as we headed into a dry start to summer. We
had no rain between mid-November and mid-January, when we got a good dose to freshen
the vines. The weather cooled off significantly afterwards, allowing for plenty of calm
hangtime that resulted in hallmark line and intensity in a relatively delicate year.
VINEYARD
This wine was made from 100% Riesling grown in the Isolation Ridge vineyard at
Frankland Estate. Riesling vines from two different clones were planted in 1988 on
undulating northern and eastern facing slopes with duplex soils of ironstone gravel over a
clay sub-soil. Several trellis systems are used throughout the vineyard, which is situated
256 meters above sea level. The cool nights and long slow ripening periods typical of the
Frankland River region allow maximum flavour development while maintaining the
distinctive vibrant acidity for which Rieslings from this region are renowned.
VINIFICATION
In the winery small ferments with an increasing focus on spontaneous fermentation and
barrel ferment parcels (with many parcels not exceeding 1,000Ltrs).
As is now tradition, we left the wine on lees for nine months as we enjoy the texture and
personality this imparts. It highlights the subtle yet distinct flinty ironstone notes, which
are wrapped up in the mouthfeel of the wine. Some 10% of this wine was matured in
barrel, with the same aim in mind. We also pick the grapes slightly riper than we used to
10 or so years ago. This allows us to achieve the “resolved” acid profile where it melts into
the wine and a wider range of flavours emerge.
These numerous small ferments allow complexity in the resulting wine through the
diversity of yeasts, ferments and combinations of stainless-steel fermented parcels and
barrel fermented parcels.
