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Frederick Stevenson

2021

Riesling

Clare Valley - Australia
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

A love of Clare Valley Riesling, demonstrated in a slightly different way.  Clare is known for its bone-dry, limey Rieslings with weight but rarely textural.  Steve has taken Clare Riesling to a disco, got it a little tipsy, and then took off for the moon together.  This is out of this world and not of this world in many respects.  The slow, oxidative handling with wild fermentation, a little phenolics and loads of solids is something Steve learned while working in the Rheinhessen.  Has the texture in this wine been mentioned yet?  TEXTURE!  The acid is certainly there and warranted, providing the stability to enjoy this wine a decade or three down the line.  There is a bit of funk there but of the disco funky variety.

The grapes were hand harvested and whole-bunch pressed in a very, very slow and light manner. The pressing took quite some time and most of the juice spent upwards of eight hours with a degree of skin contact at the press.  The juice was sent to two stainless steel fermenters to ferment naturally at a cool temperature on the full lees.  After seven months of aging without any additions or subtractions the wine was carefully blended with the other tank and settled naturally.  It was bottled without fining or filtration and just a very small addition of sulfur.

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Riesling
  • Vineyard: Hughes Family Vineyard - two blocks
  • Vine Age: 34-years-old
  • Soil Type: Deep red clay over limestone
  • Viticulture: Sustainable
  • Fermentation: Native – closed stainless-steel tank with full solids
  • Skin Contact: 8 hours
  • Aging: 7 months in stainless-steel on the gross lees
  • Alcohol: 12.2%
  • Residual Sugar: 1.3 g/L
  • pH: 3.1
  • Total Acidity: 7.0 g/L
  • Total SO2: 31 ppm
  • Total Production: 184 cases

Tasting Note

Wow.  Pretty intense stuff here and unlike other Clare Rieslings.  An energetic, textural ticking time-bomb of sorts that explodes the moment the wine is cracked.  Fleshy, lemony/limey with floral tones, cashew butter, apple pie and fresh apples and a squeeze of lime coming back into the mix.  The palate is powerful and lightly tannic and a salty note emerges.  A serious wine that begs for loud music and intense focus.

Press & Reviews

Wine Enthusiast

93

*Editor's Choice*

"Pale gold in color with heady aromas of waxy lemon, honeycomb, baker's yeast and ground ginger, this is a richly textured but bone-dry Riesling with some phenolic grip, a long limy finish and oodles of charm and drinkability."

- Christina Pickard

Producer


Frederick Stevenson

Region


Clare Valley

Country


Australia

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