Wines
2025 RIKARD Black Label Riesling
Possibly the most exciting Riesling to come out of the RIKARD Winery yet.
After 5 years of rejuvenation, our Riesling vineyard located at 1087m ASL was finally able to provide all the fruit we needed for our Riesling range in 2025. Such was the quality of the vintage and the diversity of the parcels of fruit, we were delighted to be able to make a Black Label Riesling for only the second time…..and our best yet!
Five different clones went into the make-up of our 2025 Black Label Riesling, harvested over 3 separate dates, at varying ripeness levels.
COLOUR – Pale yellow with a hint of green
NOSE – Fruit characters of green apricot, cumquat and melon. There’s a touch of oatmeal and fresh cut hay. Citrus blossom hovers over the top along with a small whiff of honey.
PALATE – The palate is dry and more savoury than the nose alludes to. There’s a saline character that runs the entire length, along with bright citrusy acid and a firm tannin presence. The mid palate is powerful, with preserved lemon, oatmeal and mandarin. The finish is fresh and saliva inducing. It screams for oysters, sunshine and an ocean view!
794 in stock
Description
Possibly the most exciting Riesling to come out of the RIKARD Winery yet.
After 5 years of rejuvenation, our Riesling vineyard located at 1087m ASL was finally able to provide all the fruit we needed for our Riesling range in 2025. Such was the quality of the vintage and the diversity of the parcels of fruit, we were delighted to be able to make a Black Label Riesling for only the second time…..and our best yet!
Five different clones went into the make-up of our 2025 Black Label Riesling, harvested over 3 separate dates, at varying ripeness levels.
Our inspiration comes from the great Rieslings of Europe, the hallmarks of which are their beautiful balance and their interplay between fruit, acidity and phenolics. Texture is also a key element in those wines, as it is with ours. To achieve this, we stir the yeast lees in old large format barrels for many months to bring more depth and volume to the mid palate and a lovely balance point to the naturally high acidity of the variety. It also has the added benefit of protecting the wine from oxygen during maturation. In addition, a small portion is fermented entirely on skins, made more like a red wine would be; to bring a different aroma spectrum and a structural, tannic element to the final blend.
It’s still aromatic. It’s still bright and crisp and distinctively Riesling. But it speaks truly of its place and has a whole lot more interest and complexity in the glass. A wine for food, a wine to age, a wine for deeper contemplation.
