2017 Massena Stonegarden Riesling, Eden Valley

The distinguished Stonegarden vineyard probably needs little introduction. Originally planted--at almost 400 metres a.s.l.--in the 1850s at Springton, this single vineyard is commonly cited by the region's winemakers as one of South Australia's blue-ribbon sites. Once part of an ancient sea bed, the vineyard's thin loam soils sit above a substrate of red clay containing rose quartz and black mica schist fragments. In the heat of summer, cool breezes and low night temperatures promote the long, slow ripening of fruit, resulting in complex flavours with balanced acidity, beautiful aromatics and a subtle minerality. Massena's inaugural Stonegarden Riesling, cropped from the vineyard's 1940 plantings, is crafted entirely from free run juices and raised in stainless steel. It's textural, potent and persistent with subtle lime leaf, lemongrass and white blossoms combining with Meyer lemon to give a bright, complex Eden Valley Riesling. 

Stonegarden riesling from a stone-riddled vineyard. Planted 1940s. A delightful wine. Textural, laden with flavour, long through the finish and delicious every step of the way. It packs a real flavour punch but it steps lightly; it feels soft. Sweet lime, talc, rose petals, orange blossoms. Quite an exotic thing, it is. It will age but it's a ripper drink right now.