2006 MadFish Late Harvest Riesling Tasting Notes

The 2005/2006 growing season was a remarkably cool one. Maximum temperatures only rarely got as high as 30C and in general the nights were relatively warm. This meant that the diurnal range (the difference between the maximum and minimum temperature for a twenty four hour period) was very low. This small diurnal range throughout the year lead to very even ripening conditions for Riesling fruit.

The cool conditions through the year allowed the fruit to develop very fine citrus and mineral flavours that Great Southern Riesling is famous for. Additionally the lower temperatures meant that the fruit stayed on the vine for about a week to two and a half weeks longer than is normal leading to greater concentration of flavour in the fruit.

The fruit upon arrival at the winery was immediately processed to ensure the highest quality juice. Free run juice was separated from the pressings which were carefully fined to remove any phenolic character. The juice was cool fermented in stainless steel tanks to maintain the delicate fruit character of the juice. Extensive blending trials were carried out to produce a wine that is a riper than most Rieslings, resulting in a wine that is perfect for early consumption.

The wine is a pale straw colour with lively, steely green tinges. The nose has a floral lavender like perfume with the more classic Great Southern Riesling characters of lime, apple and passionfruit.

The palate shows riper passionfruit flavours, floral tones and a hint of honey. The sweetness of the unfermented sugars is offset by crisp, clean citric acidity to produce a delicate wine with no cloying characters and very good balance.

The refreshing citrus and ripe tropical flavours create a wine that is particularly appealing in its youth.