2002 Petaluma Riesling Winery: Petaluma Vintage: 2002 Region: Clare Valley Bottle Size: 750ml Variety: Riesling Price: $40.00 (out of stock)

2002 will long be remembered in the premium wine regions of South East Australia as the coolest summer since records have been kept and yielding the smallest crop after a succession of small crop vintages. The heat received by the 34 year old Riesling vines in Petaluma's Hanlin Hill Vineyard in the Clare Valley was 1568 degrees C. days compared to the average 1773. The rainfall for the growing season in the Clare Valley in 2002 was 104mm compared to the average of 225mm, making it one of the driest seasons on record. This unusual combination of low temperature, low rainfall and low crop (4.5 tonnes per hectare) resulted in a late harvest. The perfectly balanced Riesling grapes were harvested in sunny, still and cool autumn conditions at the end of March and the beginning of April. The precious small bunches were hand harvested and crushed, chilled and drained in small press loads at the Petaluma winery. The low solids, cold juice was gravity settled and racked prior to fermentation. The juice had relatively high sugar, 23% (Brix) because of the abundant sunshine and low stress ripening conditions. The low pH of 3.0 and high acid, 8.5gms/litre, was a natural consequence of the extremely cool growing season.

Winemakers wait decades for the perfect conditions that the 2002 vintage provided in the Clare Valley.

The gravity clarified juice of the 2002 Riesling from the Hanlin Hill Vineyard fermented slowly with a native yeast strain from the Petaluma Vineyards. The fermentation was prolonged at a low temperature and because of the special yeast, finished at low sugar (2gpl). Immediately at the end of fermentation the 2002 Riesling was chilled in place to -2 degrees C. and allowed to gravity settle to clarity before bottling as soon as possible in order to capture the maximum intensity of fruit freshness.

2002 Petaluma Riesling is the product of a very special vintage. The driest, coolest and smallest crop on record has produced a wine of immediate appeal and impact with a very long aging potential.
Predictably the wine is intensely aromatic, at once floral and tropical fruit with a spine of citrus and mineral. The flavour is intense and refined but with substantial middle fruit sweetness and a lingering mineral and lime finish.

2002 vintage was a Riesling makers dream in the Clare Valley, the best since 1980.

Reviews

Jeremy Oliver- Qantas in-flight magazine November 2002
"Drink"
Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2002
A world-class effort. With a floral scent of apple blossom and pear and a generous, superbly textured palate of unusual richness and austerity. It’s also one of the most special (and affordable) wines from a great Clare vintage