Hand Disgorging - A La Volee with Simon Greenleaf

2011 Late Harvest Ice Concentrated Riesling Traminer

Bottled today 2011 Ice concentrated Late Harvest Riesling Traminer.  In 2010 we Ice pressed Gewurtz Traminer grapes to make an essence.  This had great results with a very concentrated sweet all be it slightly bitter wine.  The theory is the ice crystals also break down the skins and seeds of the grapes allowing bitter phenolic compounds to leech into the juice.  In 2011 we pressed the late harvested fruit first and then slow froze the juice to form a solid block of ice.  As the ice block melted the sugar, which was the last to freeze, melted first and was allowed to drain away from the block.  Like this we were able to achieve the same concentration without the bitterness.