Whitehaven Marlborough Riesling 2023

The 2022 growing season started with soil moisture at capacity, following an unusually wet winter which had seen flooding in parts of the region. Pleasingly, the region did not suffer any major frost events and despite conditions in November being a little wet, the warmth that went with it meant that flowering was not drawn out and resulted in good fruit set and the prospect of healthy yields. The remainder of the season was punctuated by cooler weather and rainfall events, and we were vigilant around disease pressure as we entered the harvest period. Harvest was later this year and Brix accumulation was slow. We experienced another rain event in the final third of March which then required us to harvest quickly in order to retain pure fruit expression. This is where Whitehaven’s new receival building came to the fore, allowing greater throughput while maintaining the quality focus and attention to detail that Whitehaven prides itself on.

The fruit used to make this wine is from our Pauls Road 38% (Rapaura) and Awa-Iti 62% (Southern Valleys) Vineyard sites. The vines were trained to 2-3 cane VSP. Throughout the growing season the vines were thoughtfully managed, with open canopies and prudent crop thinning helping to create fully ripe, clean fruit come harvest time.

Some fruit was machine harvested in the cool evening and pressed with minimal skin contact. The portion of hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed. For both components, a press cut was made to minimise harsh phenolic compounds in the wine. After settling and clarification, the juice was fermented at very low temperature with a select yeast strain to retain the fruit’s intense varietal flavours. The ferment was stopped with some residual sugar to balance the high acidity.

Some fruit was machine harvested in the cool evening and pressed with minimal skin contact. The portion of hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed. For both components, a press cut was made to minimise harsh phenolic compounds in the wine. After settling and clarification, the juice was fermented at very low temperature with a select yeast strain to retain the fruit’s intense varietal flavours. The ferment was stopped with some residual sugar to balance the high acidity.