Paul Cluver Estate Riesling 2020

The colour is pale, with a beautiful green apple tint. The nose shows fresh green apple, apple blossom, beeswax and fynbos honey notes. The palate is crisp and clean – lemon sorbet-like. There is a great interplay between the naturally retained residual sugar and the acidity. Generally regarded as restrained, it displays typical Riesling ‘nervousness’. The mineral core, which is linked to the shale rich soils in which the vines grow, astounds. It is the reason for the wine structure and the lingering after taste. Perfect hot weather wine – very refreshing.

Most the grapes for this vintage came from the 33-year-old Riesling block with a small percentage from the younger blocks. The soil in the older block varies from a ‘ferricrete’ top layer (surficial sand and gravel masses) on decomposed Bokkeveld Shale and/or light clay. The younger blocks are also on duplex soils, but dominated by shale. The average gradient is 1:7 and height above sea level is 300 meters.

In addition to vineyard sorting, a second stage of bunch and berry sorting occurs at the cellar to eliminate all traces of rot. After the grapes are pressed and the juice settled, the juice is fermented using selected yeast cultures. Grapes from different block on the estate is fermented separately and 30% of the wine is fermented in large 2500L oval oak vats. Fermentation is stopped on a portion of the wine which will be blended back later to give the wine its natural sweetness. The rest of the wine is fermented dry and left on the fine lees which helps add complexity to the wine. The wine is blended and stabilized in preparation for bottling.