"Rich, concentrated and flavoursome riesling in a medium-dry style with lime, honey, mango and apricot flavours. Less botrytis influence than usual, which means more focus on varietal flavours. Sweetness is balanced by fruity acidity and fine tannins. A powerful wine with character.  Drink 2017 to 2022" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, May 2017

"Very aromatic bouquet with white blossoms, grapefruit and apple aromas, a touch of white spice and lime cordial note. On the palate – very fresh, lively – dancing on the palate with a spritz note; high acidity contrasts a moment of residual sugar before the return of citrus, apple and floral flavours, long finish; a lovely example. Drink now and through 2028" Cameron Douglas, Master Somilier, August 2017

"Off-dry and packed with richness, this has a wealth of ripe peach and mango fruits. The palate has bracing acidity that lifts really weighty and concentrated fruit flesh" Nick Stock, Jamessuckling.com, November 2017

"Bright lemon-lime blossom aromas joined by faint honey, talc, blackcurrant scents. Palate is energized and tight, you see the loll of sweet riesling fruit but acidity is a bustle of chalkiness and firmness, really driving the wine, tight and long, energetic. So fresh. Such intensity. Drink in 20 years. Yew!" Garry Walsh, The Winefront, June 2018

"Bright straw-yellow colour with green-gold hues, lighter on the edge. The nose os fresh with softly presented aromas of lime and lemon fruit with subtle notes of tangerines, herbs and jasmine florals, unveiling suggestions of lime marmalade, honeysuckle and musk. The aromatics form a rounded, but concentrated core. Medium-dry to medium in taste and medium-bodied, the palate features softly rich and luscious flavours of lime, lemon and tangerines with yellow florals, lime marmalade, honey and subtle musk notes. The fruit richness is restrained in expression and balanced by a very fine phenolic thread and lacy, refreshing acidity providing linearity and flow. The wine carries smoothly to an elegant, long lingering finish. This is an elegantly rich and luscious medium Riesling with lime, lemon and marmalade flavours with jasmine floral, honeysuckle and musk detail, and a fine-textured, refreshing palate. Match with Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine over the next 5+ years. Late-picked fruit with 5% botrytis infection, cool-fermented to 12.5% alc. and 26 g/L RS, TA 7.3 g/L" Raymond Chan, March 2017

"Smoky notes, honey and citrus blossom lead the rather delightful nose. Powerful textural entry offering lemon, honey and musk, mandarin later, with a fresh, zesty undercurrent. The perception is of sweetness, yet it finishes relatively dry. This dances in the mouth between the fruit sweetness and zesty crispness.  Concentration here and a long finish" Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, May 2017

"This is the brand new outrageously good Riesling from New Zealand’s king of spatlese styles – Mat Donaldson, winemaker and eldest son of the Peg’ Bay winemaking dynasty in North Canterbury. Mat is a man on a mission to progressively produce Rieslings that taste ever so slightly drier in style and this is an elegant step in that direction. Concentrated lemon zest, ripe mandarins and fresh peach all combine in this great new wine. (And yes, it is Mat – with one ‘t’)" Joelle Thomson, July 2017

There is a diverse array of bright aromas and flavours, suggesting mandarins, limes and nectarines with an overlay of mango, lychees, guavas and passionfruit. It has good body and concentration in the mouth but remains lithe and elegant. There is a fine seam of minerality and crisp acidity that balance its off-dry finish and draw out its lingering flavours.

The outcrop of land on which these grapes were grown consists largely of weathered stones and mineral rich gravels.  These were shorn off New Zealand’s Southern Alps by an ice-age glacier, which carried them down the valleys and deposited them in selected sites.  The vineyard has warm days, but the nights are amongst the coolest in the Waipara Valley, which helps draw out the ripening period and retain good natural acidity. This individual terroir is especially suited to riesling. This was an ideal grape growing season with a warm summer and a long lingering dry autumn. Low crop levels have given this wine extra concentration. After picking during May, the grapes were gently pressed. The juice was then fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit characters and varietal purity.  At all stages, from fermentation to bottling, it was handled very carefully to help it retain a little of its natural carbon dioxide.  This provides additional crispness and may result in a small amount of spritzig when first poured.