Seifried Nelson Gewürztraminer 2021

94 Points (5 Stars) - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit 2021
89 Points - Bob Campbell MW, © 'The Real Review', therealreview.com
Silver - The New Zealand International Wine Show 2021, New Zealand

Vineyard: Seifried Redwood Valley and Brightwater vineyards
Sugar at Harvest: 21.6°Brix
Date of Harvest: Mid March 2021
pH of Wine: 3.50
T.A of Wine: 5.5g/L
Residual Sugar: 16g/L
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans: Yes

2021 was an unbelievably light vintage in Nelson. Our Gewürztraminer yields were down 40 - 50% in the region due to a spring frost, poor December flowering and then the Boxing Day hailstorm. Gewürztraminer is particularly light yielding even in a “good” year, so 2021 delivers a very small volume, but a top notch wine.

The unirrigated Redwood Valley vineyard is situated on a gently sloping, north-facing clay site; the vines range in age from 10 to 30 years. Vertical shoot positioning helps to expose the berries to sunlight, thus getting maximum intensity and optimal ripeness.

The Brightwater vines are grown in an extremely stony area of the vineyard where water and nutrient levels are low. This helps us to restrict plant vigour and to crop at low levels. Our Brightwater vineyard is situated 15 km from the coast and is sheltered from the south by the Richmond ranges. The ‘soil’ is a combination of rocks and boulders which is very hard on farm equipment but vital for holding the warmth of Nelson’s sun and for ripening our Gewürztraminer grapes.

Gewürztraminer is an early ripening variety with an aromatic, fragrant bouquet. It is naturally a low-yielding vine which can produce wonderful concentration and flavour. After harvest, the grapes were de-stemmed and left for a brief period of skin contact before pressing. The clear juice was inoculated with a pure yeast strain and then a cool, temperature-controlled fermentation began. After fermentation, the wine had a period on yeast lees before it was racked, blended, clarified and stabilised prior to bottling in May 2021.