2025 Framingham Late Harvest Riesling (375ml)

VINEYARD & GROWING SEASON

A mild winter lead into a warmer than average and relatively settled spring with timely rainfall which provided excellent conditions for vegetative growth. No frost events were recorded so the vineyards got off to a great start. December provided ideal conditionings for flowering and therefore, a bumper crop was set across all varieties. January was cooler at which point harvest dates felt a long way off. February and March saw more settled conditions and as predicted the bulk of our fruit was picked in early April which is later than in recent years. Despite some unusually humid conditions and the odd rain event we were able to harvest fruit in great condition whilst meeting flavour and ripeness parameters.

A single vineyard wine, the fruit is sourced exclusively from the Framingham Estate. The Riesling vines are some of the oldest in Marlborough, planted in the early eighties, have been managed under organic principles for over a decade. The soils are free-draining greywacke gravels, with some seams of sand, restricting the vigour of the vines due to the low levels of organic matter and nutrient. The vines are trained using a 2-cane or 2-cordon VSP system. Yields are restricted to ensure quality and concentration in the wines. 

WINEMAKING

The Late Harvest is a new to the Framingham portfolio, sitting between the typical “Auslese” and “Noble” Riesling styles. This wine is made up of 4 different picks with varying levels of botrytis infection (20-50%) with an average must weight of 30 brix. Picked between the 15^th and 30^th of April the “right” sort of botrytis was difficult to come by due to the persistent humidity and lack of frosts. These conditions did not allow the fruit to fully dry out, therefore we had to be very selective finding suitable material. Individual parcels were fermented until reaching the desired balance. Blending took place in August followed by a painstaking filtration prior to being bottled in Late October 2025.

TASTE

Aromatics reminiscent of mandarin, crème Brulé and honeyed waxy notes. Intense and vivid palate, with an abundance of orange citrus and stone fruit flavours held together by a tight line of acid.  This tames the richness on the palate and gives the wine incredible length and purity.

FOOD MATCH

Soft cheeses and a strong blue will go well. Great as a palate cleanser between courses or at the end of the evening.