The 2024 Riesling is an exhilarating study in contrast and complexity. The nose opens with pungent apricot preserve, spiced citrus rind, elderflower, and lavender stalks. As the wine breathes, additional notes of orange blossom, sweet pasture grass, and beeswax emerge, all dusted with a whisper of apricot sherbet.

On the palate, it’s a live wire – a charge of white citrus acidity and tart green apple that surges through the core. Yet this is not a wine of angles alone; it’s insulated by sweeter textures of orange barley candy and ripe apricot preserve. By Day 3, the richness deepens, revealing stewed citrus, cling peaches, and touches of dried apricot and marmalade. The finish is remarkably persistent, coiling out in vivid layers of grapefruit and Granny Smith, expressed with gleaming clarity.

The 2024 season in Elgin was a tale of early caution and late reward. Winter delivered good cold unit accumulation, though not significantly more than other parts of the South Coast. Spring was cool and wet, which slowed early growth and made for a cautious start to the season. While fungal pressure remained relatively low, sustained high wind speeds in early summer did affect fruit.

Happily, the harvesting period was far drier than the previous year, and fruit came into the cellar in excellent health. Ripening was advanced by about 7 to 10 days – a result of warm summer conditions and smaller crop loads — making for clean fruit with excellent natural acidity and aromatic intensity.

Moya Meaker’s Riesling vineyard was planted in 2006 on a southwest-facing slope on our estate in the Elgin Valley. The slope’s convex shape and 289m elevation allow for excellent airflow – crucial in managing disease pressure in this sensitive cultivar. The vine rows run north to south, parallel to the prevailing winds, and are rooted in ancient Bokkeveld shale soils rich in clay. This combination of orientation, elevation, and soil delivers both tension and depth in the final wine.

The grapes were handpicked on 22 February 2024, at 21.4˚ Balling. Acidity levels at harvest were bracingly high, but the scent of elderflower rising off the fruit made it clear: the time had come.

The fruit was chilled overnight and fully destemmed before being gravity-fed into the press – a gentle method that avoids crushing and the release of excessive phenolics. The grapes underwent six hours of skin contact in a sealed press, followed by a soft champagne cycle press.

Juice was settled in concrete tanks for 24 hours before being racked to tulip-shaped concrete vessels for a long fermentation that stretched over nearly two months. This slow ferment allowed optimal balance between residual sugar and acidity. The wine was bottled after seven months of lees contact, and spent a further 10 months maturing in bottle prior to release.

This wine will be at its most expressive within five years of vintage, but with careful cellaring, it will continue to evolve and improve for decades to come.

TOTAL PRODUCTION: 1892 x 750ml
BOTTLING DATE: 11 September 2024
Origin: Elgin
Alc: 13.12%
pH: 2.93
TA: 7.5 g/L
RS: 5.5 g/L