A haunting wine with bristling delicacy, buoyed by a noted mineral edge. Poached pear and warm croissant give a spiced and sappy appeal. The salinity sings the proximity of the vineyard to its maritime environment.

Riverpoint Vineyard sits in the Matawhero Appellation of the Gisborne winegrowing district. The original vineyard was planted in 1978 and in 1997 this vineyard was replanted with Viognier, amongst the first commercial planting of this exotic variety in New Zealand. Situated alongside the old Waipaoa riverbed the soils here contain high levels of fine silt and silken clays and these minerals assist in producing aromatic and dense wines. Proximity to the Pacific Ocean exposes the site to a cooling sea breeze during summer and this effect plays a pivotal role in capturing a special brackish salty aroma and a soft satin flavor. Muscat petit Grains was planted at Riverpoint in 2011 and Marsanne was planted in Opou Vineyard in 2010.

Notes from the Winemaker:

The Viognier was harvested by hand, fermented in a mix of 300 litre French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks with native yeasts. Included in the final blend is a parcel of Viognier that spent 77 days fermenting on skins in open top 600 litre French oak barrels.

In the Rhone Valley of France there are a number of complimentary white grape varietals. The 2014 has the addition of Marsanne to providing an element of depth and richness to this wine. A haunting wine with bristling delicacy, buoyed by a noted mineral edge. Poached pear and warm croissant give a spiced and sappy appeal. The salinity sings the proximity of the vineyard to its maritime environment. We consider the aromatic delight of Viognier will enhance and partner foods high in Umami flavours.

Drink now through to 2020 with happiness.

o    BioGro Certified Organic

o    Demeter Certified Biodynamic

o    Dry Farmed

o    Hand Harvested

o    Bottled on the Property

Total acidity: 4.9 g/l

pH: 3.89

Alcohol: 14.5% Vol

Residual Sugar: 2.6 g/l

Harvest dates: 2nd April 2014

Bottled on: 9th September 2014

Released on: 1st October 2015

(SKU: ML_VGN_14)