Gaspereau Vineyards 2020 Reserve Riesling Wine

The 2020 vintage was a memorable year for many reasons (the global pandemic) and lucky for us, it was a remarkable growing season for grapes in Nova Scotia. The summer and fall were warm and dry and the harvest was early. Upon harvesting, the Riesling grapes were healthy and ripe with a nice balance of aromatics, sugar and acidity. To honour this great vintage, we have created a special Reserve Riesling; an aromatic, mineral-driven Riesling balanced with a hint of sweetness. After fermentation in stainless steel in the spring of 2021, we transferred some of this Riesling into 8 neutral oak barrels for an extended period of aging on the fine lees (fine suspended particles remaining after fermentation). We stirred the wine weekly for a 4 month period to encourage Malolactic fermentation and to give some added complexity from the lees on the palate. After 4 months, the barrels were emptied and moved into stainless steel where they remained until bottling. Just prior to bottling, we added in some 100% stainless steel aged 2020 Riesling as well to balance out the wine. The result is a dry tasting, complex Riesling with a very interesting history. This wine can be enjoyed young but will benefit from several years of bottle aging. I hope you enjoy this wine as much as I enjoyed making it.