Sali’s Block Riesling 2023
Significant Awards: Gold Medal CWSA 2018
This is mouth-wateringly delicious; the elegantly expressed bouquet shows rockmelon, lemon peel, lime sorbet and green apple aromas, leading to a juicy palate that is concentrated and beautifully weighted. The wine exhibits pristine fruit flavours and fine texture, brilliantly complemented by subtle sweetness and racy acidity, finishing extremely long and engaging. Superbly balanced and harmonious. Style: Off-dry. At its best: 2019 to 2027. *
**** 95/100
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, September 2018
(Notes for previous vintage as 2023 has just been released).
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.
One special part of our vineyard is called Sali’s Block. It is now well over 20 years old and it produces some of our most intensely varietal Riesling grapes. We allow this block to develop a small amount of botrytis infection to add the natural sweetness we desire for this wine. Riesling of this quality requires low yielding fruit and this block came in at just over nine tonnes per hectare in 2017. Fermentation was stopped when the wine had achieved our desired balance between sweetness and alcohol. It was bottled 23 February 2018
Deep lemon, pale straw in colour, on the nose it has intense garden flower florals; freesia, violets and orange blossom. There is also beguiling honey, ripe stone fruit, dark passionfruit, rock melon and ripe citrus characters; hints of pink grapefruits and mandarin even. It has impeccable balance, is spicy and mouth filling, with lovely crisp acidity and appealing sweetness. The citrus, apples and juicy yellow stone fruit carry through on the moreish palate which also has delightful honey and herbal characters, notably basil. The long finish is crisp, elegant and refreshing with the lovely citrus nuances lingering impressively.
This is a perfectly pitched wine with real elegance. It will continue to develop in the bottle and is going to provide a delightfully refreshing drink for several years. This continues the long line of impressive Sali’s Block Rieslings.
Technical Notes
Alcohol: 11.3%, Acidity: 8.6, PH: 2.89, Residual Sugar: 12 g/l.
Significant Awards
Gold Medal CWSA 2018
Reviews
Enjoyable now, but also worth cellaring, the attractive 2017 vintage is scented and vigorous, with strong, citrusy, appley flavours and an off-dry, appetisingly crisp finish. ****
Michael Cooper, Nov 2019
This is mouth-wateringly delicious; the elegantly expressed bouquet shows rockmelon, lemon peel, lime sorbet and green apple aromas, leading to a juicy palate that is concentrated and beautifully weighted. The wine exhibits pristine fruit flavours and fine texture, brilliantly complemented by subtle sweetness and racy acidity, finishing extremely long and engaging. Superbly balanced and harmonious. Style: Off-dry. At its best: 2019 to 2027. *
**** 95/100
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, September 2018