Jim Barry Wines The Florita Riesling, Clare Valley
A textured wine of immense purity that is bursting with intense aromas of lime and hints of juniper berries. This shows all the expressive hallmarks of a Florita Riesling.
Producer Note - Certain names resonate strongly within Australian wine history and Jim Barry is one of them. It was Jim Barry's drive that helped shape South Australia's Clare Valley as a benchmark producer of world-class Riesling and cemented it as one of Australia's premier wine regions. Jim was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, graduating with a degree in oenology from the prestigious Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. Founded in 1959, Jim Barry Wines is still family-owned, with three generations of Roseworthy graduates. Jim's son Peter became managing director in 1985 and today Peter's children Tom, Sam and Olivia are the winemakers, commercial managers and brand ambassadors respectively. Voted '2020 Winery of the Year' at the Halliday Wine Companion Awards they produce highly acclaimed and award-winning wines.
Vintage - 2018 was characterised by a particularly dry growing season, with less than 15 centimetres of rain falling between October to March. However, two-thirds of this rain fell at critical points in November and December which promoted growth and enabled the fruit to develop evenly. Adequate soil reserves and canopy management preserved the vines from the effects of the hot conditions. As a result, there was very low disease pressure and the fruit was in excellent condition at harvest.
Vineyard - The famed Florita Vineyard is synonymous with the classic grape variety and was planted with Riesling grapes by Leo Buring in 1962. In 1986, the Barry family acquired the 32-hectare property. Florita' is Spanish for 'little flower' and the first release of this micro-batch of premium Riesling was in 2004; it was the fruit of years of patience. Individual rows are selected where the terra rossa and loam soils barely cover the deep limestone below and the vines deliver a wonderful elegance. The Clare Valley climate is continental, with a high diurnal temperature difference. The cool nights allow the Riesling vines to preserve the crisp natural acidity and delicate flavours.
Winemaking - The grapes were hand-harvested in the cool of the night and meticulously sorted to remove any damaged or sunburnt fruit. The fruit was chilled to 6°C before being destemmed and pressed. After cold settling, the juice was racked off of its solids. Cool fermentation took place with selected yeasts at temperatures of 14 to 16°C and lasted for two to three weeks. The Florita Riesling is made following the philosophy of minimal intervention, allowing the wine to reflect its distinctive and historic origins.
Tasting Note - A wine of immense purity and drive that is bursting with intense aromas of lemon, lime and citrus blossom. The tightly wound palate delivers laser focussed acidity and crisp lime juice at its core and shows all the hallmarks of Florita Riesling.
Grape Riesling 100%
Winemaker: Peter & Tom Barry
Region: South Australia
Sub region: Clare Valley
Country: Australia
Alcohol: 12.5%
Dry/Sweet value: 1 (1 is dry, 7 is very sweet)
Residual Sugar: 2.4
Contains Sulphites: Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan: No/No
Milk/Eggs: Yes/No
Organic/Biodynamic No/No
