Pewsey Vale Vineyard The Contours Riesling 2017
Pewsey Vale Vineyard The Contours Riesling
Region: Eden Valley, Australia
Vintage: 2017
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Riesling
ABV: 12.5%
Intense classic lemon aromas, with a hint of white flowers. Bottle aged characters of toast, clove oil and lemongrass emerge and combine with the still fresh citrus and white flowers of its youth. The palate has great length and depth with concentrated power and fresh, pristine lime juice overlaid with toasted brioche, sage oil and lime marmalade.
Pewsey Vale Vineyard The Contours is characterised by a special site, sensitive vine growing and astute winemaking. The Contours Riesling is produced from old vines farmed on the coolest slope within this ruggedly beautiful single vineyard. Bottle ageing for five years before release transforms this Riesling into a complex wine. More richness and complexity will accumulate over future decades.
In 1839, shortly after his arrival from England, Joseph Gilbert started building a fine homestead in Eden Valley and planted the region’s first grapevines in 1847. The vines came from the Macarthur vineyards at Camden Park in New South Wales and from the collection of English glasshouse cuttings from the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Chiswick. Like so many vineyards in the 1920s and 30s, Pewsey Vale fell into disuse but, thankfully, its potential was rediscovered. In 1961, pastoralist Geoffrey Angas Parsons became aware his property had once incorporated the region’s earliest vineyard and shared his discovery with good friend, and vigneron Wyndham Hill-Smith. Several wine companies were considering potential vineyard sites with cooler ripening conditions than found on the Barossa Valley floor and Hill-Smith needed no further persuasion – work soon began on re-establishing Pewsey Vale Vineyard.