Auburn Wines - 2012 (listed driest to sweetest)

2012 Auburn Northburn Riesling

Sourced from 13yo vines in the subregion of Northburn. Clean fruit, no botrytis, gently whole-bunch pressed. Lightly settled in tank, racked off solids and fermented cool. Bottled August 2012. Alcohol 11%, pH 2.83, TA 8.6g/L, RS 36g/L. Production 878 bottles.

A bright, clean, youthful nose, abundant with lemon, lime, white flowers and pithy apple hints. Mineral and spice are interwoven through a palate of juicy citrus, augmented by a fine, lithe backbone of fresh acidity. The finish is long, infused with lime zest and ending refreshingly crisp. A great match for oysters, though you may find the bottle empty before the food arrives.

2012 Auburn Bannockburn Riesling

Sourced from 14yo vines in the subregion of Bannockburn. Clean fruit, no botrytis, gently whole-bunch pressed. Lightly settled in tank, racked off solids and fermented cool. Bottled August 2012. Alcohol 11%, pH 2.95, TA 8.1g/L, RS 34g/L. Production 870 bottles.

Youthful and intense, boasting an amalgam of citrus and floral characters, a hint of stonefruit and an undercurrent of minerality. Medium-bodied, the layers of concentrated, varietal citrus are assuaged by a textural spine of limey acidity that provides drive and persistence on the finish. The more masculine, generous counterpart to the Northburn.

2012 Auburn Lowburn Riesling

Sourced from 15yo vines in the subregion of Lowburn. Clean fruit, no botrytis, gently whole-bunch pressed. Lightly settled in tank, racked off solids and fermented cool. Bottled August 2012. Alcohol 10.5%, pH 2.97, TA 8.0g/L, RS 45g/L. Production 881 bottles.

More exotic and lifted aromas of ginger and nutmeg complement a bouquet of honeysuckle, lime and mandarin; already complex, exhibiting the trademark spices of Lowburn. Racy acidity provides wonderful tension and buoyancy on the palate, cutting through the slippery texture to a polished, nervy and lengthy finish. Perfect with a pad thai, fish curry or similar Asian cuisine.

2012 Auburn Bendigo Riesling

Sourced from 7yo vines in the subregion of Bendigo. Clean fruit, no botrytis, gently whole-bunch pressed. Lightly settled in tank, racked off solids and fermented cool. Bottled August 2012. Alcohol 9.5%, pH 2.87, TA 8.5g/L, RS 62g/L. Production 851 bottles.

Brimming with citrus, lifted florals, hints of garden herbs and a schist, mineral purity. The palate is lush with a slight spritzig, swathed in lemon, lime, tangerine and grapefruit, focused by a core of crunchy acidity judiciously balanced by the residual sweetness. Elegant, streamlined and seamless; the Rolls Royce of Rieslings. A phenomenal match for slow-cooked pork belly.

2012 Auburn Aura Riesling

Sourced from 14yo vines in the subregion of Bannockburn. Mostly clean fruit with 20% botrytis, foot-stomped and allowed 12hrs of skin contact. Gently pressed, lightly settled in tank, racked off solids and fermented cool. Alcohol 10.5%, pH 3.03, TA 8.4g/L, RS 72g/L. Production 402 bottles.

Opens with a veritable fruit basket of citrus, stonefruit and tropical spectrum fruit, accompanied by honey, orange blossom and musky spice. Made in an Auslese (later harvest) style, the textural richness, weight and body is cleansed by a veil of citrus acidity that echoes softly on the finish. Ideal partner for an after-dinner cheese plate or apricot tart.

2012 Auburn Shining Dawn Riesling

Sourced from 14yo vines in the subregion of Bannockburn. 100% dried, shrivelled botrytis berries; bunch selected in the vineyard and sorted again at the winery. Foot-stomped, 12hrs of skin contact, then pressed. Allowed to settle, racked off solids and fermented cool and long. Alcohol 6%, pH 2.82, TA 17.3g/L, RS 320g/L. Production 239 half-bottles.

Playfully nicknamed the Electric Monster, this is Riesling at its most hedonistic, supercharged expression. The aromatic profile is far-reaching; from super-ripe citrus, to tropical fruits, to crème brulee, honey, vanilla and caramel. Exotic, rich and intensely sweet, the viscous, mouth-coating sweetness would seem overbearing if not for the virile, primal force of kinetic acidity that penetrates and cuts through the monumental mouthfeel. The finish is very, very long. A special, unique wine that we will have great difficulty replicating in the future.

2012 Auburn BDG Riesling

Sourced from 7yo vines in the subregion of Bendigo. 100% dried, shrivelled botrytis berries selected in the vineyard. Foot-stomped, left to soak for five days of skin contact, then pressed. Allowed to settle, racked off solids and fermented cool and long. Alcohol 5.5%, pH 3.07, TA 13.3g/L, RS 322g/L. Production 156 half-bottles.

The slightly more elegant, refined and understated juxtaposition of the Shining Dawn, the BDG still possesses a smorgasbord of fruit and unnaturally high levels of acidity, sugar and viscosity. The nose – ever-changing as it is – shows candied orange, lime, peach, dried apricot, sweet pastry, baking spices, marmalade and more. Unctuous, decadent and palate-filling in the mouth, the mellifluous texture is escorted by a fine thread of acid drive that helps cleanse the sweet finish. Long, lingering and luscious, the BDG is an experience all of its own, but a great union is to be had by partnering it with glazed nuts, dried fruits and nougat.

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