2007 Pyramid Valley Riesling Growers Collection Rose Vineyard

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  3/20/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (ROSE Riesling Pyramid Valley) Riesling Dear Friends, Now that the 2007 Pyramid Valley wines are (finally) on their way to us, it's time to chime-in on the trio of Rieslings that Mike and Claudia Weersing so lovingly coddle. These are flagship examples of the growing season with very limited production this year. In opposition to last year's release, this set of 2007s represents what the Weeshing's believe their far-southerly climate truly gives - a Smaragd-like representation rather than one high in residual sugar. Two new wines make an appearance, the "Riverbrook" and "Rose" and each shows a completely different face of the varietal. I urge you to sample all three (Lebecca, Riverbrook and Rose) to get an accurate snap-shot of their intent. The pradikat levels range from near trocken to Spatlese and each captures the wild and untamed spirit of this magical land at the end of the earth - folklore, fairies and hobbits intact. For those of you unfamiliar with the owners of Pyramid Valley, they are among a select group of vintners that have gone to the end of the earth to seek their fortune in terroir (by fortune, I do not mean monetary). They scratched and clawed their way to a remote piece of land that called to them on the South Island of New Zealand and every inch of this properly has been a labor of love. After so much sacrifice, the most interesting aspect of their dedication is that, in some mystical way, the vines now "own" the land the Weersing's worked so hard to tame. This incredible landscape of virgin terra firma has endless potential for vines. The Weersing's have gone to extreme lengths to showcase the terroir of not only their own estate but of the Grower's Collection plots they harvest - even at the cost of their own safety (and sanity). The results to date have been an eye-opening, biodynamic/organic expression of the South Island and, while not every wine is for everyone, the effort this winery has put forth has my ears (and palate) always eager to explore their newest releases. To get a feel of how important the wines are, please see the Weersing's letter to their audience - you'll quickly see that this about more than a way to make a living... www.pyramidvalley.co.nz/spring08.html All of the Riesling's below represent an intriguing foil to those of Germany, Alsace and Austria. The prices are not only fair, they are downright low for the care and attention each wine receives. While it's difficult not to compare them with Germanic wines, keep in mind this set is a very specific take on Riesling from a New Zealand perspective and should be tasted as such. The following notes are from Mike and Claudia. They understand the delicate and complex interplay of their wines better than anyone and they have no desire to "sell" anything - this is the accurate assessment from the horse's mouth and I believe you will find what is in the bottle to reflect their missives with detailed accuracy. I have added my own comments in parenthesis where I felt my perspective had something to add (positive or negative). Mike has further comments that I've posted to the forum with his permission: http://www.garagistewine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6210 <http://www.garagistewine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6210> All are on the water headed to our warehouse with the finest provenance available directly from the cellar. Pyramid Valley - a blueprint for discovery: 2007 Pyramid Valley "Lebecca" Riesling (Marlborough) Wratts Road in Rapaura; deep, gravelly silts. Ripe, clean, golden fruit, with no botrytis. Hand picked, whole bunch pressed, lightly settled. Indigenous yeast fermentation of 5 months, which stopped naturally. Held in tank on fine lees for another 8 months. Bottled May 2008. Alcohol 11.0%, pH 3.15, TA 6.4g/l, RS 34g/l. Production 350 cases. TN: Pale white gold. Fresh, and ripe; comice pear, white peach, red delicious apple; lifted and floral - honeysuckle, alyssum, cherry blossom; wet stone. Compact and juicy, flavours of ripe pear, red apple and talc; lightly sweet floral notes play through the phenolic architecture of the wine; apt balance of acid and sugar, so that the sweetness seems to disappear on the long, minerally finish." (The Lebecca this year is nearly Spatlese with potential to lay away for a number of years - would be interesting to compare this to the 2005 and 2006 as it seems more in-tune with itself. The 2007 Lebecca has half the sugar of the 2006 and those that lean toward the Saar would be well served to give this aspired and bargain-priced wine a try. Would be a very interesting blind wine in a tasting, especially as the acquisition fee is minimal - JR) 2007 Pyramid Valley "Riverbrook" Riesling (Marlborough) Brancott Valley Road; silt-bound gravels. An assemblage of two wines, from two picks: 85% clean, small-berried, loose-bunched fruit, fermented nearly dry, and 15% late-picked fruit with purely noble rot (our intention had been to make two wines, until we discovered that they longed to be together, a single, complete expression of season and site). Hand picked, whole bunch pressed, no settling. Indigenous fermentation of 9 months (dry), and 13 months (botrytised), respectively. Bottled May 2008. Alcohol 12.5%, pH 3.27, TA 5.7 g/l, RS 20g/l. Production 280 cases. TN: "Very pale white gold. A very different aromatic expression from that of the Lebecca above: more tropical fruit - guava, pineapple - but also notes of nut oil, hot rock, sea spray/iodine, Indian spice; and an attractive, wintergreen lift. Musky and mineral on the palate; nuts again, and red and brown spice; finishes clean and fluid, long and cool." (Quite interesting, barely Kabinett in sweetness but the slight botrytis gives this an exotic cold-toned power and muscle that many will find very attractive. For fans of Zind-Humbrecht and the Rheingau, again almost impossibly low-priced - JR) 2007 Pyramid Valley "Rose" Riesling (Marlborough) EXTREMELY LIMITED (see total production below) Meticulously managed block, contiguous with the Lebecca vineyard in Rapaura; dense silts with deep gravel bedding. A late pick of immaculately clean and golden fruit. Hand picked, whole bunch pressed, no settling. Warm, indigenous yeast fermentation of 12 months, in both stainless steel and neutral oak. Bottled May 2008. Alcohol 13.1%, pH 3.24, TA 6.9g/l, RS 9g/l. Production 85 cases. TN: "Light straw/gold. Initially somewhat closed; then still strict, but expressive: dried apricot, mandarin peel, quince, and cooking apple; also crushed rock, and a balsam/sandalwood note. Dense, introverted, with chalky phenolics and great mineral grip; an unusual kind of balance, less fulcrum (counterpoise of acid and sugar) than gyroscope - internal components whirring in independent equilibrium; exciting for the dynamism, the energy this creates." (This wine is expansive and obviously the product of dynamic terroir - for the price of a middling Austrian Riesling, this is more than worth the entrance fee. A standout that lingers in the memory with a dryer presence than the first two wines, just north of trocken with a New Zealand twist all its own. Think Nikolaihof Smaragd and you will get the idea. Another prime candidate for a blind tasting - JR) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA NZ7710 NZ7720 NZ7730