Cicada Gewurztraminer 2023
Significant Awards: The first four vintages of this wine all won trophies. The 2023 has continued this impressive track record, picking up a Gold Medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show.
It's fabulously aromatic on the nose with mango, lychee, rose petal and warm spice notes, leading to a silky-smooth palate that's succulent and silky. Brightly fruited and perfumed with beautifully infused acidity, finishing long and satisfying. At its best: now to 2029. ***** 95/100
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, November 2023
Buy a case (12 bottles) to get 12% discount - If you would like to organise a mixed case please email kevin@riverbyestate.com and we can put together a special order.
The 2023 vintage in Marlborough turned out to be exceptional, producing grapes and then wine of incredible quality, although it certainly didn’t always look that way. Spring 2022 started with good weather leading to a successful flowering and reasonable bunch numbers. From January onwards the weather was quite mixed, with showers and inconsistent temperatures, however the grapes came through in good order and the last two weeks prior to harvest had perfect conditions for slow, perfect ripening with cool nights and warm days.
The grapes were harvested in perfect condition in late March 2023. Harvest took place in the cool of the evening and the free run juice was predominantly fermented and handled in stainless steel tanks, with a small portion of the final blend spending some time in barrel. Extended time on lees has added to the complexity of the finished wine. It was bottled on 10 August 2023.
Pale lemon in colour, it has a classical bouquet of luscious florals, Turkish delight, rose petals, yellow honeysuckle, citrus and ginger. On the palate it is a full bodied, mouth-coating wine with richness and power. It has a lovely texture, almost oily in feel, with delicate acids, subtle residual sugar, ripe stone-fruit characters, spices, ginger and turkish delight. The aftertaste is long and satisfying with the spicy notes lingering beautifully on the silky, smooth finish. It promises to age gracefully for many years.
Technical Notes
Alcohol: 13.3%, Acidity: 4.73, PH: 3.77, Residual Sugar: 8.0 g/l.
Reviews
Vintage after vintage I really enjoy this wine. It's the only wine in the Riverby Estate portfolio where the fruit does not come from their own vineyard, hence the sub-brand, Cicada. It's a lovely wine, just off dry but with loads of substance and a bite of dry extract to add to the seriousness. All the hallmark notes of lychee and rose petal are there, but the peachy ripeness of the mid-palate fruit and the way it merges into that crisp, powerful finish whilst retaining a hint of szechuan-friendly sweetness, is marvellous.
91/100
Tom Cannavan, Wine-Pages.com March 2024
Fragrant, perfumed, white flowers, floral, lychee, gum, a minerally touch with air. Hubba bubba gum, sweetly fruited, spice notes, lychee again, supple & rounded avoids the alcohol heat that can befall some Gewurztraminer. Nicely balanced, integrated and open for business, picking up a little apricot kernel bittersweet element which nicely contrasts the fruit sweetness.
Excellent.
Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, January 2024.
It's fabulously aromatic on the nose with mango, lychee, rose petal and warm spice notes, leading to a silky-smooth palate that's succulent and silky. Brightly fruited and perfumed with beautifully infused acidity, finishing long and satisfying. At its best: now to 2029.
***** 95/100
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit Nov 2023