Tinpot Hut 'Turner Vineyard' Riesling

Tinpot Hut wines are made primarily from fruit grown on winemaker Fiona Turner's vineyard in Blind River. Fiona, who has worked with Matt Thomson for a number of years, supplements her own grapes with fruit from other growers in Marlboroughand Hawkes Bay. The tinpot hut that gave its name to Fiona's wines is an old mustering hut in the remote hills between the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. The huts were used as a base for musterers as they rounded up the sheep that had been in the hills from spring to autumn. The name links Marlborough's past as a sheep farming centre with its current state as one of the world's most dynamic wine regions.

Vineyards
The fruit for this single vineyard wine was grown on the 16.5-hectare Turner home block vineyard in the Blind River sub-region of the Awatere Valley. Low yielding vines were monitored closely and then hand-picked when the right balance of flavour and sugar ripeness was reached to produce this lower alcohol style of Riesling.

Vinification
After harvest, the fruit was transported to the winery for immediate pressing, with minimal skin contact to prevent juice deterioration. The fruit was crushed and only the free run portion of the juice was retained. Specialty Riesling yeast was used for a long cool ferment. The resulting wine was then balanced and prepared for bottling under a screw cap closure so as to retain as much of the freshness and fruit character of the vineyard as possible.

Tasting Notes
Pale straw in the glass. Fresh citrus aromatics of sweet lime and mandarin mingle with subtle floral notes. Light bodied, the Riesling is fresh and appealing with flavours of lime and grapefruit and a distinct mineral finish so reflective of the Blind River sub-region. Rounded and well balanced acidity with mineral notes lead to a long pleasing finish.