Harvest
100% Riesling (55% Bacchus blocks 1b and 1c; 45% Dionysus
block 17) representing clones Geisenheim 198 and 239 and Neustadt 90.
All stainless steel fermentation and aging.
Bottling
Following a typical Alsatian style Riesling model, this wine is dry with only 0.78% sugar to balance the high natural acidity. It was aged on the lees for a couple of months to give it a slight lemon curd and yeasty aroma with increased mouthfeel and viscosity without the need for malolactic fermentation. On the nose are lemon and lime citrus, grapefruit, and apple that continue to the palate. Simple but pleasant in flavor, the acidity cuts through the wine and leads to a long finish with great minerality. Drink now through 2030.
Winemaking
The goal for this wine was a crisp, clean Riesling with green apple and citrus fruit, less than 1% residual sugar, and a touch of lees character. I believe that goal and direction has been achieved. The fruit was picked early in the morning and cooled for a day to maintain a cool temperature for the juice at pressing. The grapes were pressed whole cluster (in the rain mind you) in an enclosed membrane press with enzymes to reduce oxygen contact and enhance settling and aromatics and pumped to tank where fermentation would take place. The juice was settled for a day and then inoculated with BA11 yeast. Fermentation proceeded at 52 degrees for a month before the second harvest of grapes occurred. Those grapes were pressed in a bladder press with oxygen contact and pumped directly into the fermenting tank. Because the yeast is active, they will use all of the oxygen and pressing in that manner is not a problem. Fermentation proceeded for another month until the yeast were stopped by cooling to 33 degrees at the desired sugar level (7.8 g/L). The wine was aged sur lie in tank for two months before cold stabilization at 33 degrees, protein stabilization with bentonite, and prepared for bottling on March 27th, 2014.
