Dry River Gewurztraminer

2020 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

The fantastic vintage allowed us to let the grapes mature slowly on the vine until they were ready to pick in the latter part of April.  This is a subtle and tactful wine that evolves constantly, entering new aromatic cycles.

Gewürztraminer evolves well in the cellar, five to ten years or longer.

The nose is initially closed with orange marmalade, jackfruit and candied apricots.  Then the spices, like cumin and fenugreek, become more visible. Grilled pineapple, nashi pear and honey rate come forward with time.

The palate, too, is slow to reveal itself.  It is delicate and deep, with a persistent texture throughout.  Slightly drier than previous years, which exposes the mid palate more, the real nature of the wine becomes evident after several approaches: calm, juicy and delicious, with a strong personality.

2019 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

Our summer and autumn in 2019 was nothing shy of spectacular.  Combined with the low yields due to the spring frost and poor flowering conditions, we see a lucid and concentrated Gewürztraminer. 

Contrary to general belief, Gewürztraminer is a perfect cellaring wine for five to ten years or longer.

The nose is unmistakable and quintessential of its variety; highly perfumed with hints of ginger and lychee, apricot jam, nectarine and orange marmalade.  But also stone fruit compote, fruit chutney and bee pollen.  The array of aromatics is present and can be overwhelming.

The fruit impact is immediate with orange marmalade, lemon and ginger mixed with rumtopf style preserved fruit on show on the palate.  All revolves around the middle of the palate with this wine, where it has a gorgeous and sumptuous mouthfeel with a silken and oily texture.  The sparkle of acidity attempts to draw the wine back out from the mid-palate, where it remains in tension with the buoyancy of the fruit weight, stretching the palate in a dough like fashion.  The wine appears dynamic and in constant motion, a great treat for Gewürztraminer lovers.

2018 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

The warmer vintages like the 2018 benefit our Alsace varieties in the vineyard for the style we pursue, in this case Gewurztraminer: a broader, denser wine with full, decadent aromatics and a touch of residual sugar.

Hallmark aromatics of quince, ginger, rose petals and lychee are seamlessly woven into more difficult to decipher aromatics; perfumed stone fruits and papaya with lifted spices. Some of the 2018 Botrytis bunch selection wine was blended into this to provide some more depth – honey suckle and orange peel characters with fresh, dried herbs.

The palate is structured, even a bit stern at first, then becoming more elastic and viscous with the alcohol spreading through the wine, giving an element of buoyancy. The well natured character is reflective of the vintage: warm, calm, soft with a bright spark and a friendly twinkle. The botrytis portion expresses honey rate and orange marmalade.  We see a marked duality in the evolution over the palate where it spreads and broadens, then dries and salivates, but is never lost in direction.

If possible, refrain from drinking this wine for the first two to three years, it will open up and soften beautifully.

2017 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

Due to a long hang time in the vineyard this year, we see recognisable hallmarks of ripe Gewürztraminer; rose petals, lychee, mandarin and grapefruit rind.  Since our aim is to produce a full bodied wine with a high aromatic density, yet a restraint and elegance, we generally make several picks through this vineyard at different ripening times.  The last picking pass was with a high portion of Botrytis infected fruit, which is showcased by clover honey, candied ginger, Turkish delight and linalool.

With the dense and ripe aromatics on display on the nose, the palate is surprisingly more light weight with a lower residual sugar than usual, 17 grams/litre.  The consequence of this is a gentle entrance.  However, the wine spreads fast and evenly, covering the complete palate with a friendly and buoyant mouthfeel.  Good housekeeping is the playful threesome interaction between the fruit weight, the density and acidity. The latter keeps the wine fresh, alive and allows for a long and linear finish. This wine can be enjoyed young, or after five to eight years for added complexity.

2016 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

Gewürztraminer to me is a wine full of contrasts.  In the vineyard the variety is co-operative, thanks to its low demand and impeccable behaviour.  It is not until harvest time when the complex, multi-facetted personality of this wine with becomes visible; wildly aromatic when it suits, bitter when not happy, with some age it captivates the harshest critic and sweet because we feel it needs it to bring the wine together.

Though appealing as a young wine, we recommend to restrain from opening this for another two years and for maximum gain of interest for another five to ten years.

On the nose, the divisions are visible; ripe, tropical, soft flesh fruits like persimmon, papaya and rock melon are contrasted with orange marmalade, cloves and ginger.  With a small and early picked portion fermented in barrel and aged on lees, faint floral notes and hints of vanilla are evident.  The palate is strikingly consistent and complete, where the lack of focus becomes the focal point, perhaps testament to the four separate passes at picking time.  The soft, cushion like entrance is followed by a bulky, luscious and textural mid palate, finished with long fresh tail.  Like the texture, the fruit travels similarly over the palate through different spectra; peach and nashi pear at first followed by a Crème Brûlée and ginger and finished with lemon marmalade. 

2016 Dry River Bunch Selection Lovat Gewurztraminer

Dessert Gewurztraminers are a rarity for Dry River, the previous one being produced in 2004. These grapes were harvested on the 18th of May at 30+ brix. The gentle, careful processing yielded juice with an extraordinary purity of flavour. The wine has an appropriate pure golden hue, an ebullient nose of honeycomb, crystallized ginger and cinnamon laced with orange zest. The palate reveals an intriguing complexity of integrated rich and round flavours. Ginger, honeycomb, cinnamon and sweet orange all contribute without sacrificing the refreshing clarity of expression. Wines such as these can be long lived with proper cellaring and the 750mL bottle means there is more to enjoy at the time of opening!

2015 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

A darker straw appearance. It is on the nose where the vintage shows its true colours. With coconut flesh, caramelized orange rind, scented vanilla and Amaretto, the wine delivers an unusual introduction where fruit opulence is in minor. These seductive characters persist with Grand Marnier, crepes Suzette and flambéed orange juice. This certainly is a wine with many discussion points.

Again a drier palate in terms of residual sugar at 20 g/L with a moderate alcohol level of 13.5%, this makes for a complex and textural Gewurztraminer. The varietal expression shyly comes through on the palate with concentrated and condensed tannins. Ginger, Amaretto and caramelized cane sugar are the predominant characteristics. More intricate are the higher aromatics like lychee and zest of orange & mandarin. Fenugreek and cardamom spice make for a firm and complex finish, with the acidity ever so minimal in order to retain the focus on the aromatic profile. Looking back in our cellar, Gewurztraminer is not to be underestimated in its capacity to evolve for three to seven years, possibly longer in a good cellar.

2014 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

We believe Gewurztraminer benefits greatly from multiple, staged pickings. The array of flavours, aromas and texture is a result of choosing opportune times for harvesting selected parcels, not merely the optimal condition for the complete block. For the 2014 vintage this proved to be our saving grace.

A melange of aromas suggestive of Turkish Delight, nougat and almond paste are the immediate characters that spring to mind. Exotic fruits, orange peel and fresh apple provide further interest. Dry River wines are bottled at an early stage of their development, which to us means they have not been needlessly exposed to the detrimental aging effects of oxygen. With the passing of time in the glass or bottle, some characters become more noticeable than others; also other previous unseen aromatic compounds are released, like candied ginger and papaya fruit.Time and slow exposure to oxygen equally benefit the palate. After a gentle entrance, the focus and concentration is on the mid-palate, where texture is highlighted by a multitude of fine phenolic compounds, a balanced alcohol level (lower then normal) and generous fruit sweetness. These compounds provide a soft cushioning effect, stretching the wine into four dimensions (volume, and length or time on the palate). Drink now for immediate pleasure, or for maximum interest cellar for a minimum of three to five years.

2013 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

Deep gold with flecks of yellow, the colour of our 2013 Gewurztraminer reminds us of the golden glow of the sun. Candied fruit aromas of pineapple, mango and tangerine all speak of concentration and purity. A number of picking passes over the season has enabled us to capture a range of grape flavours, the later picks are noteworthy in that they contribute amazing ‘Bunch Selection’ characters of dried apricot and ginger marmalade. The palate continues building from entry to finish, supple and sappy but refined, pure and long to the end. Fruit flavours span the spectrum for Gewurztraminer: lychee, apricot and muscatel. It is difficult to resist the youthful charm of this delicious wine but bottle age will progress the perceived richness and add other nuances of spicy complexity. We suggest this process will continue for up to ten years.

2012 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

With its shimmering gold colour, Gewurztraminer is always a pleasure to introduce. The aromatic profile however needs little introduction. With an extended late autumn ripening period, the classic characters of rosewater, complimented by orange peel and lychee, are achieved. Compared to the opulent nose the palate shows due restraint. Notes of crushed coriander and aniseed make way for fruit characters of ‘Poire William’ and apricots. A cushion-soft mouth feel is stylishly framed by subtle acidity which renders down to a finely detailed wine from what is widely considered to be a cooler vintage for Martinborough. We believe our Gewurztraminer gains further interest and richness with careful cellaring. This being said, it is hard to resist its youthful charms now.

2011 Dry River Bunch Selection Lovat Gewurztraminer

The combination of a warmer season and a higher than average rainfall in 2011 enabled us to hold the fruit on the vine and encourage the development of flavour-concentrating Botrytis cinerea. This small amount of wine was harvested at around 29° brix and subsequently processed with extraordinary care.

The extended maturation and shriveling of the fruit on the vine bless this wine with a dark golden shine and intensely luscious aromas of mandarin and orange peel with lychee and honeydew. A powerful sug- gestion of canned apricots and/or pears offers a concentration of fruit expression only seen in this style of wine. Lemon verbena and crystalized ginger also offer the palate a sense of freshness, balance and length. It is hard to look past this glorious opulence now but I would suggest holding some stocks in the cellar for future evaluation.

2009 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

This is surprisingly fresh in colour and displays rich, perfumed aromatics with lychees, mandarin and spices tending to dominate. The palate shows great clarity of expression, it is rich but structured, ripe but not cloying and with flavours of fresh ripe tangerine, quince, lychee and dominant fruit cake spice. It is so obviously Gewurztraminer but equally, not Alsace Gewurztraminer. Cellar this and enjoy it throughout its career: for its vibrancy when young and as it progresses towards greater weight, complexity and spiciness as time goes on.

2008 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

This is a bright light gold wine with an easily recognized Gewurztraminer nose. As the vines on this block have grown older, the spice fragrance from successive vintages has become more dominant ? in the ?08 wine there are fruit cake spices, especially cloves coupled with the aromas of yellow peach and old fashioned roses on the nose. It has a residual sugar of around 20g/L but a voluptuousness and palate volume belying this. The flavours certainly make one sit up and take notice ? powerful juicy yellow peach with ripe oranges (rather than the mandarin zest of the variety sourced from the home block) combine with Turkish delight and talc for a refreshing minerality and completed with oodles of spice ? especially cloves. A very expressive wine: try with spicy roast pork belly or suckling pig with leeks.

2006 Dry River Martinborough Gewurztraminer

This varietal is not for cerebral enjoyment, it is for banishing thoughts about that bad day at the office or drinking while watching the sunset on a summers evening. It can also be matched with cheese or food, particularly rich dishes, but beware of acidic sauces or swamping subtle food flavours. A glossy, light gold colour barely hints at the exotic aromas of rose water and very ripe yellow peach, touches of mandarin, crushed nuts and cloves. The palate is perfectly rounded, viscous and showing the flavours of sumptuous yellow peach or Arabic guava tinged with mandarin and spice. These wines can hold for many years in top vintages, but our usual recommendation is to drink them relatively young, say 2-5 years.

2004 Dry River Lovat Gewurztraminer

The fruit from this block’s vines is starting to show more spice that is derived from the increasing vine age. The wine is lemon-gold with a lightly honeyed nose of orange zest and blossoms, creme brulee, Turkish delight and some fruitcake spice. It has an oily texture with a firm backbone and robust flavours from lush pear to white peach, orange peel, cloves and comb honey. You lose little by drinking Gewurztraminer earlier than most other varieties, although a recent vertical tasting suggested they can be surprisingly long-lived. Our suggestion is for cellaring 1-5 years.

2003 Dry River Martinborough Gewurztraminer

Light cropping, a warmer than average year, normal canopies and an excellent dry autumn set the scene for most ’03 wines having considerable concentration and greater expectations of longevity than normal. The tiny crops of Gewurztraminer necessitated combining the fruit from Lovat and Dry River blocks and this has yielded a wine with medium green-gold colour and a nose smelling of peach blossom and Turkish delight, orange zest and cloves with hints of Xmas cake spices and beeswax. It has a full spreading palate tasting of ripe peach and mango, mandarin zest and fruit cake spice plus bush honey. The palate is presently tighter than some of our Gewurztraminers but as it is not lacking extract and structure it should be longer term than most.

1998 Dry River Martinborough Gewurztraminer

The fruit for this wine was in excellent condition, with very ripe flavours – finally being picked at about 25.5 brix. The colour is straw/green, the bouquet is of ripe peaches and pears with rosepetals and a touch of spice. Low yields have contributed to the power of this wine with a palate which is lush even oily showing bold flavours of peaches and guavas with fruit cake spices, culminating in a clean finish. This is an attention-seeking wine – try it as an aperitif or with cheese. Cellaring is midterm (2-5 years) and requires good conditions (see our Spring brochure).

1995 Dry River Botrytis Bunch Selection Gewurztraminer

The grapes for this wine were left on the vine till mid-May to promote botrytis and flavour development. At harvest the crop was about 30% botrytis-affected, with additional natural shrivelling, yielding a juice at 32º brix. The flavours of the wine are very much the in the Alsace and German tradition; that is, with an emphasis on the clarity of varietal flavours without overt botrytis or fungal notes. Nevertheless, the botrytis does modify varietal fruit characters, and these honeyed and already modified fruit characters will become more evident as the wine matures. The wine was fermented to a high alcohol content, leaving a residual sugar of 100g/L which bestows richness rather than a more obvious sweetness as perceived in many dessert wines.

The colour of the wine is that of lemons and this will become more golden with time. The nose is quite floral, smelling of rose petals and muscat, and it will also tend to deepen, reflecting similar changes in the palate with cellaring. The palate is concentrated, with spicy muscat and floral characters and soft, fine phenolics which will continue to recede with time. An unusually low pH for this variety (3.0) confers elegance and clarity of flavour, offsetting the weight of fruit (‘extract’) from the low cropping levels and the further concentration from natural shrivelling and botrytis. This wine will reward cellaring. Enjoy drinking it by itself, with cheeses, nutty desserts or with aromatic fruits such as strawberries (provided they are not overly sweet or tart).