2024 Gilbert Riesling

96 pts
A beautiful off-dry Orange Riesling from Will Gilbert, combining high-altitude freshness with generous texture and broad appeal.

Price:
Sale price$30.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Will Gilbert has firmly established himself as one of NSW's most exciting young winemakers, and Riesling might just be his secret superpower...

This is an off-dry Orange Riesling that puts balance first, with a little sweetness and extra texture making it just incredibly easy to enjoy. The fruit comes from Angullong and Mayfield vineyards, high on the slopes around Mount Canobolas. Cool conditions meant lovely slow ripening, while plenty of sunshine helps develop flavour without losing the acidity Riesling needs.

Fermentation starts in stainless steel, with some of the wine finishing in concrete and neutral oak. Time on lees with regular stirring adds mouthfeel, giving this more generosity than a straightforward crisp, dry style.

Lemon and juicy citrus lead the way, with a little pithy grip and a rounded palate. The sweetness softens the bright acidity without taking over, keeping the finish fresh and full of flavour.

Open it with chilli and ginger prawns, or just on a warm afternoon in the backyard. Delicious now but with the bones to age 5-10 years no issue.  Brilliant Riesling and cracking value.

96 points
"This is the new world of riesling, celebrating balance, concentration and homegrown zingy freshness. A wine that will disappear quickly from your glass and from the stockists."
- Shanteh Wale (Halliday Wine Companion)

96 points - "A sorbet of fresh lemon, tangy and tied with pulpy fruit. There is presence from some pithy fibre and a swirling viscosity that continues to deliver flavour right to the back palate. For all intents and purposes this is an off-dry wine, cleverly pieced together to feel lusciously juicy. So, while you may gravitate to dry or sweet, this will fit in both those wheelhouses. This is the new world of riesling, celebrating balance, concentration and homegrown zingy freshness. A wine that will disappear quickly from your glass and from the stockists." - Shanteh Wale (Halliday Wine Companion)

Grape variety: Riesling

Vineyard and region: Angullong and Mayfield Vineyards, Orange

Winemakers: Simon Gilbert and Will Gilbert

Peak drinking: Now until 2034

VINEYARD CONDITIONS
Sourced from the foothills of Mt Canobolas at an altitude of 610 - 980 metres, these vineyards have fertile soil, rich in volcanic ash. It is deep, well drained clay loam and red and brown ferrosol soils derived from basalt, with silty textures being found at hill top sites.

One of NSW’s cooler regions, Orange has a mean January temperature of 19.5°C with a 15°C variance between summer and winter months. Average rainfall is approximately 875mm per annum. With Orange being the highest wine growing region in Australia, grapes grown here not only enjoy all the benefits of its cooler temperatures and unique topography, but also benefit from over 9 hours per day of direct sunshine during the growing season.

The combination of both the cooler climate and plentiful sunshine is vital to the fruits ability to develop intense aroma and maintain flavour, giving these grapes a long mouth feel and flavour profile.

WINEMAKERS' NOTES
These grapes were harvested in small lots, in the early hours of the morning. The fruit was destemmed, then drained and soft pressed with each incremental increase in pressure. The juice was then cold settled for 48 hours and racked off solids, then warmed. Fermentation of the juice was initiated in stainless and maintained at a temperature of 12-16°C. Mid way through fermentation, to increase complexity and texture, we drained off to fill a concrete tank and some neutral oak barrels where the remainder of the sugar was metabolised and maturation took place on full lees with regular stirring. We sulphured each individual vessel at optimal balance to achieve the desired flavour, sugar and acid balance, with a final residual sugar level of 8.35g/L. It was then racked off hard lees, blended together and left on light lees and stirred for 6 months. The wine was then clarified and filtered.

Price Bracket $30 or Less
Type White
Body Light Bodied
Variety Riesling
Country Australia
Region Orange
Australian State NSW
Feature High Score
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 96
Alcohol 11%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Screw Cap

Gilbert Wines

Will Gilbert is a sixth-generation winemaker based in Mudgee in country NSW who's taken up the family mantle.

The Gilbert family sources fruit from local vineyards in and around the Mudgee area as well as from premium vineyards in the cooler region of Orange. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc feature heavily in their excellent lineup as well as a suite of experimental wines, including Pet Nats and Piquettes.

Will is one of the most exciting young winemaking talents in NSW at the moment. If you like to keep your ear close to the ground on what's hot, Will's wines are to have a close eye kept on them.

Winemaker Will Gilbert Gilbert Wines

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