Tantalus 2014 Old Vines Riesling 750ml

One of the iconic BC labels, ‘Old Vines’ is made from the first lot of riesling plantings (1978) from a single 2-acre plot. Block 5 is on a slope of deep, silty soils, bordered on the western edge by a stand of Ponderosa Pine that act as a sunblock from warm Okanagan summer sun. Only 8.1 g/l of residual sugar are deftly handled to balance out the 9.8 g/l of total acidity. The fruit is farmed sustainably, cropped low and cellared for two years before release. This savoury riesling certainly is a stunner and among the best yet from Tantalus. Broken stones, wild herbs, earthy grasses and eraser notes undercut a lifted tone of lime leaf and lime pith, green apple, verbena and tight pear. The acidity is nervy and electric, vibrating along the medium, sun-dappled palate, until the brisk, grippy finish. Minerality rings throughout, from first whiff to lingering, lime pith finish. You can enjoy this now with herb roasted chicken but its future is bright and many years down the road.

Score: 92 points -- Treve Ring & Anthony Gismondi, Jul 2017

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Pale lemon in colour, the nose is brimming with a myriad of fresh citrus, bergamot flower and pine. Rich tropical notes of pineapple and guava are also present – a result of a warm growing season.

The palate is bright and intense with racy lemon zest and mandarin. Apple, passionfruit pulp and mango charm through the mid-palate before a brilliant acidity emerges and stretches the wine into a magnificently long finish. Cellared for two years before its release, this Riesling showcases the classic minerality and texture we see from this site each year.

Block 5 sits on a north/south slope of deep, silty soils. This 2 acre block is bordered by mature Ponderosa Pine forest on its western edge providing relief from the intense summer heat in the late afternoon and early evenings. The dappled sunshine allows the fruit to still ripen beautifully while maintaining the intense Riesling acidity that has become a hallmark of this block.

Harvested from a handful of rows on October 8th, the wine was inoculated after a short settling period and subsequent racking of the juice. It was then fermented to almost dry just leaving over 8 grams of sugar to thoughtfully balance the high-toned, mineral-laden acidity.

--Winemaker