2024 Black Estate Damsteep Riesling, North Canterbury

A wonderfully expressive riesling from the Damsteep vineyard in North Canterbury. Pale straw in the glass with pure yellow plum, white nectarine, lime and grapefruit tones with underlying hints of citrus zest, makrut lime, baked apples, clover blossom and meadow flowers. There are daubs of clotted cream in there, too, and the flavours are expressive and stretch out long on the palate with a sapid, briny cadence. Rich yet focused and sprightly. It's just a delicious drink, simple as that. Drink to 2032.

94 points & Special Value Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2026

Zingy, low-intervention wine with distinctive apple juice, lime blossom, linden flower and fennel seed flavours. The broad phenolics spread across the palate before tightening up on the dry finish where pithy, gravelly notes linger. Drink to 2032.

93 points Stephen Wong for The Real Review, December 2025

A very aromatic and pristine wine, offering aromas of crushed lemons, pink nectarines, spring blossoms, flint and minerals. Juicy and brisk, with a medium body and vivid acidity adding length and precision. Clean and minerally. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

93 points Andrii Stetsiuk for James Suckling, October 2025

The 2024 Riesling Damsteep is firm yet fresh, with juicy citrus, ripe apple fruit and pretty florals. On the weightier side of light-bodied, it offers good intensity of fruit and succulent textures through the palate. Fermentation in oval tanks and large barrels is likely a factor in its curves. There's no shortage of acidity, which combines with ripe phenolics to provide an assured and grippy finish.

91 points Rebecca Gibb for Vinous, February 2026

The certified organic and biodynamic Damsteep vineyard is in northeastern Waipara Valley at the foot of the Omihi Saddle. A 2.2-hectare section of it is planted to GM110, GM198 and GM239 clones of Riesling on 101-14 rootstock at a high density of 5,000 vines per hectare, with soils a dense brown clay over layers of sandstone and limestone.

The 2024 season started after good winter and spring rains, with rains at flowering disrupting fruit set at a degree, leading to smaller bunches and yields. The rest of the season was trouble-free, with steady warmth during the days and cool nights.

The fruit for this wine was harvested over three days in the middle of April. The grapes were whole bunch pressed using a long and gentle press cycle, with the juice racked into a combination of stainless steel and large well-seasoned oak barrels. Fermentation was initiated with a cultivated yeast strain obtained from this vineyard, and the wine spent a total of twelve months on lees before the components were blended in stainless steel and sulphured with a light 51ppm dose. The wine was then allowed to settle for three months on fine lees before it was bottled without fining or filtration.

About this producer

Black Estate is a family-owned and operated wine estate established in 1993 by Russell and Kumiko Black, and purchased in 2007 by its current owners, Nicholas Brown, Pen Naish and her family.

Located in North Canterbury’s Omihi, its current holdings include 24 hectares across three certified organic and biodynamic hillside vineyards, with a fourth one under a long-term lease contract. Their focus is on single vineyard expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the two varieties supported by smaller amounts of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Nicholas manages all aspects of viticulture and winemaking. He relies on good viticulture to produce excellent fruit for the wines that are vinified with minimal intervention practices that include fermentation with indigenous yeasts and bottling without fining or filtration. Minimal sulphur is used at bottling, and only if deemed necessary.