• Dessert style
• Dried apricot
• Honeycomb
• Inherent acidity

"It is wonderfully lifted on the nose showing dried apricot, Manuka honey, marmalade and potpourri characters, followed by an opulent palate that is gorgeously sweet and creamy. It is powerful and irresistibly delicious with rich texture and well-balanced acidity, finishing impressively long and lavish" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2020

"Golden yellow leading to intense aromas and flavours of apricot and peach, honey and ginger, beeswax and lemon. Thick and creamy, spicy, fruity and delicious. High acidity and sugar to match with a spicy preserved lemon and baked custard finish. Drink now before anybody else finds this gem" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jul 2019

Moderate straw gold. The nose is rich and powerful, almost jumping out of the glass to meet you. Intense aromas of dried apricots are lifted by an attractive volatile character, typical of this style, that complements the honey-like aromatics. The palate can only be described as unctuous with amazing fullness and fatness and flavours of honeycomb and lanolin. The impact of this wine has been created by the high residual sugar and intensity of fruitflavour created by the concentration of the juice during the drying period on the vine. The finish is generous and sweetness is well balanced by the inherent acidity.

The 2017 season in Waipara was of average heat with moderate rainfall. The exception being in April where heavy rain was received causing some issues for certain varieties. However, the wet created perfect conditions for the development of the Botrytis fungus essential for the production of this wine style. Dry conditions in May ensured the infected berries dried out perfectly.

Hand harvesting along with careful bunch selection was followed by gentle whole-bunch pressing of the fruit. Fermentation of the clear juice was slow, in part due to the impact of the high sugar level on the vigour of the yeast. The wine was also kept at a low temperature to ensure the aromatic elements were perfectly captured. The fermentation was arrested by chilling the wine to below zero which left a considerable amount of sugar in the wine. Minimal fining was done to assist with retaining the maximum flavours.

Food Pairing: Enjoy with a lovely selection of cheese.