Perhaps one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world, Rippon Vineyards is nestled on the shores of Lake Wanaka in Central Otago and is the most photographed vineyard in the world.
Rippon Vineyards was established in 1981 and since that time has been producing quality Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Reisling, Osteiner and Gamay wines.
Pinot Noir was also planted in the mid-70's and now represents 40% of the vineyards plantings. A small amount of Syrah and Merlot completes the range.
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Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
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Vintage Notes: A very cold and blustery December (late 2004) caused a very withdrawn flowering period across most of New Zealand and across most varieties.
I liken flowering to the period when the vines are making love: try doing it with an icy, wet wind blowing up your nightie and I think you’ll see their predicament. Never one to shy away from bearing lots of fruit, the Osteiner was kept at bay by these conditions and produced some very well balanced fruit. The resulting wine is one of our best ever from this variety. It will always please as an aperitif, with light food or in place of a beer after (or indeed during) work - a classic casse-croute (French smoko) village wine. It’s also a favorite at Rippon’s open-air concerts.
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Technical Notes: Alcohol 11.4%
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Bottling Date: October 18, descending moon, fruit/seed day
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Technical Notes: Alcohol 11.6%
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Bottling Date: October 18, descending moon, fruit/seed day
Growers Tasting Notes: Displaying lime and tropical fruits, this wine is creamy and shows subtle oak handling. A complex wine with a lingering finish.
Vintage Notes: Whilst New Zealand’s harvest reached all time highs, Central Otago, once again, bucked the trend. With hard frost at both ends of the season, the region suffered dramatically reduced crop loads and, in some areas, severe damage to the vines, of which those that survived may take a year or two to recover from.
Needless to say, the low crop loads did however result in fruit of excellent quality allowing Central Otago and Kawarau Estate to maintain its reputation of premium wines.
Cellar Until: 2008+
Technical Notes: Picked April 2004; tons harvested 3.85; tons/hectare 3.40; bottled March 2005; brix at harvest 21; alcohol 13%; residual sugars g/l 1.3
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Tasting Notes: Displays butter and toast aromatics complemented by citrus and tropical fruit flavors. Elegant and balanced with a lasting finish.
Winemaker’s Notes: The season was moderate by Central’s standards, with only scattered hot patches through the summer and autumn.
The weather over flowering was unsettled and was the main contributing factor in reducing crop loads. However, frost fighting was minimal relative to previous seasons and the combination of all these factors in conjunction with our canopy management systems, resulted in fruit of excellent quality. In addition, the vines were tagged during veraison enabling us to harvest selectively to ensure consistent levels of ripeness in the ferments.
Cellar Until: 2009+
Technical Notes: Picked April-May 2005; ton harvested 4.630; tons per hectare 3.52; bottled Feb. 2006; brix at harvest 23; alcohol 13.5%; residual sugar 0
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Tasting Notes: Displays butter and toast aromatics complemented by mineral and stone fruit flavors. Elegant and balanced with a lasting finish.
Winemaker’s Notes: An outstanding vintage for Kawarau – good bunch weights, neither over nor under cropped and excellent quality fruit. An early spring threatened a longer frost-fighting season but it never came.
The mild spring gave way to a long hot summer and an extended autumn. The excessive heat was counteracted with sufficient irrigation to quench the canopy's thirst and for the first time in a long time, we were picking with a green canopy – most unusual for Central Otago, but very welcome. The wines are looking good too – so 2006 could yet prove to be one of Central Otago's best.
Cellar Until: 2010
Technical Notes: Alcohol 13.5%
Residual sugar 1.6 grams/liter
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
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Cellar Until: 2008+
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Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
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Cellar Until: xxx
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Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Tasting Notes: xxx
Vintage Notes:A very cold and blustery December (late 2004) caused a very withdrawn flowering period across most of New Zealand and across most varieties. Riesling, however, charged through flowering in the earlier part of December when a warm and dry breeze was blowing up off the lake. Riesling, the tough Germanic variety, fares much better than most in the cooler years and 2005 was no exception. We are very proud of this wine; it once again stands out for its substance, mouth feel and linear power.
Fruit Handling: Picked by hand into small, 10kg cases allowing the fruit to arrive at the winery’s sorting table intact. It is then whole bunch pressed over 4 hours and run, by gravity, into a settling tank. 12 hours of settling is passed after which the juice is racked, retaining fine lees, into a horizontal fermentation tank (stainless-steel foudre)
Cellar Until: 15 years +
Technical Notes: Alcohol 12.1%,
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Bottling Date: October 18, descending moon, fruit/seed day
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Fruit Handling: Picked by hand into small, 10kg cases allowing the fruit to arrive at the winery’s sorting table intact. It is then whole bunch pressed over 4 hours and run, by gravity, into a settling tank. 12 hours of settling is passed after which the juice is racked, retaining fine lees, into a horizontal fermentation tank (stainless-steel foudre).
Cellar Until: 10 years +
Technical Notes: Alcohol 11.3%
Winemaker: Dean Shaw, Central Otago Wine Company
Bottling Date: September 21, 2006