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Sensational quality wine from the Orange, NSW wine growing region.
2021 Riesling (12 bottle case) NEW RELEASE
2021 Riesling (12 bottle case) NEW RELEASE
Luminous green gold in colour, our Riesling vineyard’s typical honeysuckle, spicy citrus and talc underpins the gloriously floral bouquet and line of this finely balanced wine. Finishing satisfyingly dry and savoury, the typical juicy minerality and compelling fruit of this wine will supply enormous enjoyment with careful cellaring well into the medium term.
Al/Vol 13.5%
Vineyard
The grapes for the 2021 Riesling are sourced from the top 12 rows of the Riesling vineyard. This vineyard faces due north on an approximately18 degree slope with the rows approximately South East/North West in orientation on a Scott-Henry trellis system. The trellis is opened towards the top of the slope in a southerly direction allowing important late season sunlight to linger on the maturing fruit. The laminated silt-stones and shale of this vineyard slope allow for very reliable drainage in wetter growing seasons and a generally warmer start to each growing season. This is a very important quality vineyard for us at Bloodwood and we are blessed to have it.
Vintage Conditions
The Weather At Bloodwood is always the same; It's Different!
Winter and Spring Rainfall for the growing season leading up to vintage 2021 was well above the median with 424 mm for the months of June, July and August and an even more damp 452 mm for the calendar Spring months. The long drought had finally broken with the vineyard at field capacity more often than any growing season since 1984.2021 yields are way down on usual with reds suffering the most. Because of the carry-over of the drought in not providing enough fertile buds to which to prune, the volume was only 20% of normal. Although our vineyards had physically pretty much recovered over the last twelve months, here simply wasn't enough fecundity in the buds produced during the smoky summer of 2019/2020 to provide a decent crop this harvest. The cooler growing season also meant that maturity lingered into the deluge of mid-March. The bright point for 2021 is that if any fruit ripe enough before the rains was of exceptional cool climate quality and reminds us strongly of the excellent 1992 and 2002 vintages. What little Riesling and Chardonnay we produced is excellent while we also managed a co-ferment of Cabernet Franc and Merlot Noir which is delicious.
Winemaking
The main consideration here was a clean, efficient ferment minimising volatile acidity and extended ferment characters. At 22.3 Brix , a pH of 3.10 and a T/A of 7.0g/l there was not much that was needed in the way of wine making. Whole-bunch pressing as the grapes came off the vines, cool settling overnight, racking and warming to help ferment get under way was our straightforward approach. Generally fermented between 14 and 18c over 23 days to natural dryness, the wine looked finely delicious from the start. Over recent vintages, I've been trying to work a little more on the mid-palate through extended lees
contact, and this technique was necessary for vintage 2021. Following bench trials, protein and cold stabilisation, the wine was sterile filtered and bottled in early October 2022.
Wine Analysis
pH 3.16
Acidity 7.7g/l
Alc/Vol 13.5%
Tasting Notes
Luminous green gold in colour, our Riesling vineyard’s typical honeysuckle, spicy citrus and talc underpins the gloriously floral bouquet and line of this finely balanced wine. Finishing satisfyingly dry
and savoury, the typical juicy minerality and compelling fruit of this wine will supply enormous enjoyment with careful cellaring well into the medium term.
Al/Vol 13.5%
“Such a generous and mellifluous departure from the more brittle South Australian expressions: lithe, long limbed, dry, juicy and yet driven by an effortless undercarriage of vibrant mineral force more reminiscent of great Germanic gear. Glazed quince, apricot pith, preserved lemon, fennel, white pepper and tonic. The finish, a sublime confluence of natural acidity and gentle phenolic rails pulsing very long. A steal! Better, a fine wine indeed. Rating 96 Drink 2022-2032
❤ Shortlisted for 2023 Awards. Nominated by the tasting panel as the best example of this variety in its region.”
“Riesling 2016. Lime, lemon zest, riper quince and a sherberty Pez-like quality are de rigueur, yet what sets this Riesling apart is a volcanic pulse that meshes flavour, mineral and juicy, free-flowing acidity into a delectable whole. Extended lees handling proves rewarding. Indeed, there is nothing hard about this. A beauty now, or over the next decade plus. Rating 95 to 2028”
“Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, cool-fermented to dryness with cultured yeast, matured on fine lees in tank for 6 months. Good wine, with all the requisites of lime/citrus fruit aroma and flavour backed by citrussy acidity.
94 points to 2025”
“Tight control. Excellent fruit intensity. Slatey, minerally finish....This Riesling flies an impressive flag both on the palate and through the extended finish.
11.5% Al/Vol Rating 95 Drink 2028.”
“Pale straw; mineral laden on the bouquet, with prominent lemon juice and fennel aromas; the palate is taut and racy, firm, unevolved and the firm acidity is certainly at the higher end of the spectrum; time will be essential to maximise drinking pleasure.
11.5% alc. Rating 92 Drink 2021”
“2010 Bloodwood Riesling
Stephen Doyle and his wife Rhonda are two of the pioneers of Orange District wine. They have been making wines in their own particular way since their first vintage in 1986. Bloodwood has developed a reputation for its satirical labels and individual styles, but especially for the quality of its Riesling. In 2009, Stephen made a particularly good example. The wine displayed vibrant limey notes and mineral characters on the palate, finishing with dry, crisp acidity. However, the 2010 (made from the vines planted in 1984) is a cracker, and is especially recommended for lovers of the dry, minerally style. I visited the winery a month or so ago to sample the wine which will be released just before Christmas: “Intense floral aromas with hints of honeysuckle. Very refined, delicate palate with a fine minerally texture, great length and vibrant limey acidity. Outstanding 12.8% Screwcap”
“Fragrant spice, wild flower and apple aromas lead into an intense and lime-juicy palate, with immaculate balance and length. Screwcap.
12.5% alc. Rating 96 Drink 2020”
“A gloriously fragrant bouquet with a surge of lime/lemon blossom, then an emphatic palate full of lime and a hint of herb; finishes well. Screwcap.
12.5% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2018”
“Rhonda and Steven Doyle were two of the pioneers of the Orange region when they began to plant their 8.4-ha vineyard in 1983. At an altitude of around 850 m, there was never any question about the suitability of the climate for riesling. This wine is pale green-straw in colour, with a lovely floral blossom bouquet. The tightly focused palate has lime/citrus fruit wrapped around a strong mineral backbone - to use a mixed metaphor, a lady-in-waiting for the next few years.
Rating: 93
”
“Citrus, finger lime flesh, feijoa, green matcha tea and an espy of honeysuckle.
Confident and appealing, with limey length, staying tight in straight lines with finger-cymbal chimes of bright acidity and slatey minerality. Rating: 94/100. RRP: $32. Alc: 12.5 per cent
”
“This mature example is part of the Doyle’s museum stock. Aromas of rich lime sorbet, honeysuckle sweetness and light kerosene development. Still offering a bright and refreshing palate with
mouth-watering acidity and a talc-like texture. Eleven years young with many years ahead. Rating: 94/100. RRP:
$NA. Alc: 12.8 per cent
”
“Pale lemon colour. The initial nose a waft of free sulfur dioxide, the fruit underneath is chalky-mineral and faintly dried-flowery, the palate delicate and finishes dry after a tickle of sweetness. It’s crisp and lively, young for its three years and aging slowly, as a classic riesling should. The palate is delicate and subtle, with intense dried floral and dried herb notes, the persistence medium, and the finish clean and moreish. ”
“Bloodwood (Orange) riesling 2018, $32. With three years under its belt this is probably the most action-packed riesling in the country, imagine what it would be like after ten?
Funny you should ask …
9.4/10.
Bloodwood (Orange) riesling 2010
(Museum Release) Alas not for sale.
Well, after ten years … this riesling is astonishingly like its younger self, just with deeper hue and similarly greater depth of all the nice things too. Almost disappointing except it is so inviting, but you’ll have to grow your own.
9.5/10.”
“Such a generous and mellifluous departure from the more brittle South Australian expressions: lithe, long limbed, dry, juicy and yet driven by an effortless undercarriage of vibrant mineral force more reminiscent of great Germanic gear. Glazed quince, apricot pith, preserved lemon, fennel, white peper and tonic. The finish, a sublime confluence of natural acidity and gentle phenolic rails pushing very long. A steal! Better, a fine wine indeed.
96 points Drink 2022-2032”