2016 TWR Single-Vineyard 5182 Riesling 'D'

TWR

New Zealand / Marlborough / TWR

The original Riesling vines on TWR's block were planted in 1979 and are the oldest Riesling vines in Marlborough. Part of the reason Anna & Jason Flowerday's conversion to organic and biodynamic farming was to rescue these old vines and coax them back to life. They saw huge potential in this old block and successfully rejuvenating them has been one of their greatest achievements. The fruit from the old vines has great concentration and structure as well as wonderful natural acidity that lends itself very well to making a dry style of Riesling.
All the grapes for this wine were hand-picked and hand-sorted. The majority of the fruit was then destemmed, gently crushed, and air-bag pressed, while one parcel was whole bunch pressed. All parcels were fermented in stainless steel tanks that were purpose-built for Riesling. The Flowerdays favour very slow, cool ferments for the Riesling to help retain the floral aromatics. This wine has not been fined and is suitable for vegans and vegetarians and anyone else who loves authentic, truly hand-made wines.
It has gorgeous lifted aromas of jasmine, fresh lemon and ripe kaffir lime, which follow through on the palate. Flavours of fresh lime juice, lemon sorbet and ripe grapefruit with hints of floral spice are balanced by a fine backbone of ripe acidity. This Riesling is a dry style which has excellent fruit weight and concentration to balance the lingering mineral acid structure. It is finely structured with great length of flavour.

September, 2018

Mike Bennie

The Wine Front

94 points

Lovely perfume shows green apple, lime, green herbs, whiff of mint, orange juice, blackcurrant. Even a touch of really nice slate-mineral character. Flinty and racy to taste, brisk juiciness, green apple crunch. Pristine, precise and pretty.

November, 2017

Nick Stock

jamessuckling.com

93 points

This dry expression of Riesling is in a more floral mode with gently waxy lime blossom and melon fruit aromas. Hints of pastry, too. The palate has assertive weight with impressive freshness. Spiced lime citrus flavors run long. Drink now.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

About TWR

Te Whare Ra (TWR) is a small vineyard and winery located in the Marlborough sub-region of Renwick. The 11Ha vineyard was first planted in 1979 and since 2003 has been owned by winemakers Anna and Jason Flowerday. Yields are kept low, the vineyard is managed with a combination of organic and biodynamic practices and all the fruit is handpicked and hand-sorted.  The wines are made with minimal intervention in a small winery which has been specifically set up for small-batch winemaking.  The aromatic wines have carved out a reputation for TWR as a member of New Zealand’s elite, while the improbably good Syrah and Pinot Noir are opening people’s eyes to Marlborough’s potential for red wines of distinction.
Biodynamic producer, certified organic
http://naturalwine.org.nz/

About

Anna Flowerday hails from McLaren Vale and kicked off her career there amid a thoroughly talented pack of young winemakers in the mid-1990s. She worked for Hardys for seven years all up, culminating in an aromatically formative stint at Leasingham in Clare Valley. It was during her time at Hardys that she met and fell in love with Jason Flowerday, a third-generation viticulturalist from Marlborough. Eventually they struck out together and in 2003 bought Te Whare Ra, home to one of the oldest vineyards in Marlborough, originally planted in 1979. Together they manage the estate with a combination of organic and biodynamic practices and have cemented this region's reputation not only as an impeccable source of aromatic whites but also as a force to be reckoned with for both Pinot Noir and Syrah.