2022 Clare Valley Riesling

The hail storms of late 2021 impacted the surety of the supply of Riesling grapes for Ben Murray Wines. With this in mind, the opportunity to source via a close friend grapes from his Sevenhill Vineyard in the Clare Valley became available. The Clare Valley is 100 km northwest of the Barossa and has an ancient under-bed of blue stone/ slate which provides a very linear and tightly wound style of Riesling influenced also by the drier and slightly cooler growing conditions of a higher altitude. Prepared for bottling with a minimum of sulphur this riesling, with its extremely low pH and low alcohol provides a refreshing and crisp wine perfect to match with lighter seafood.

Whole berry pressed in the pneumatic press, and the juice is treated gently with antioxidant coverage of dry ice (CO2) and chilled immediately to well below zero. Held in this manner for nearly two weeks to fully settle the juice. Once settled, the solids were racked away and the juice was left for a 20-day cool ferment. The wine was then chilled again and separated from the solids, leaving it bright and fresh and no signs of cloudiness from the natural wild ferment.