Ceres Bannockburn Black Rabbit Central Otago Riesling 2017

Description

Bright, light straw-yellow colour with suggestions of green hues, near colourless on the rim. The nose is very elegant and tight with finely concentrated aroma of white and yellow stonefruits, subtle citrus fruit notes, some honeysuckle and thirst-quenching wet-stone minerals. The freshness is attractive and the aromatics build in intensity... the palate is fragrant and aromatic, revealing flavours of limes with white and yellow florals, an unctuous richness is beautifully balanced by fine phenolic textures, and refreshing, racy acidity. This single site Riesling finishes with soft mineral nuances providing lovely poise and elegance – perfect drinking now, however will reward you with careful cellaring, optimal drinking within 3 to 7 years of vintage.

This single site Riesling was harvested in April, the wine was cool fermented in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation was stopped at 45 g/L RS to create balance with the acid, and create harmony on the palate. This Black Rabbit Riesling was then left on gross lees for another month to development further structure and complexity.

This Riesling is from the Black Rabbit vineyard on Cairnmuir Road, Bannockburn. Black Rabbit is a 1.46-hectare site on an elevation of250 –315m with ancient soils approximately 4 million years old. The site is a steep North-facing slope with windblown schist loess over ancient bedrock schist. The vineyard was planted in 2008.

Warm temperatures in December when flowering occurs ensured that fruitset was good. Above average temperatures in January and February, and lower than normal rainfall provided quality fruit which was exceptional, with aromatic, concentrated flavours and intense colours. A cold snap hit as harvest started meaning that 6 weeks of harvest was squeezed into 4 weeks.