2009 Robert's Block Riesling
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2009 Robert's Block RieslingVQA Niagara Peninsula

Tasting Notes

Very light colour with a typical cool climate green hue. Highly aromatic with nuances of tropical fruits reminiscent of banana, passion fruit, lemon with lovely minerality reminding you of wet stone and slate. Soft to start on the palate but wait for it to build – big mouth feel, elegant minerality, lovely citrus tones dominate. A long steely and fruity finish deliver an experience of a great Riesling. Enjoy with appetisers, chicken, poultry, seafood, fish, mild cheese, or on its own.

Vineyard Data
  • Harvested exclusively from the estate vineyard in Jordan, ON - sub appellation 20 Mile Bench
  • 13 year old vines grown on thin clay soils with escarpment limestone rock beneath
  • 2009 – cool year hence acidity nicely retained in fruit however harvested late to maximize flavour and sugar anticipating leaving the resultant wine with some residual sugar
  • Low yields with tiny berries resulting in 21.0 Brix, 8.5 g/L T.A. and 3.1 pH
Winemaking Data
  • Cool fermented in stainless steel over 3 weeks with selected yeast to maximize aromatics and influence of terrior
  • Fermented halted when residual sugar was ~10 gL
  • Left on gross less for 6 months with very little agitation, no blending or fining required
Technical Data
  • Alcohol 11.0%
  • Residual Sugar 10.0 g/L (LCBO = 1, Slightly Off-Dry)
  • pH 3.1
  • Total Acidity 8.5 g/L
  • Bottled May, 2010
  • 340 cases produced
Reviews & Awards
  • 4 out of 5 stars - Rod Philips
    Vines Magazine - 2011
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars - Rick VanSickle
    Canada - 2010
  • Best Riesling Over $20 - Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
    Canada - 2009
  • Gold - Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
    Canada - 2009
4.5 stars - This is Staff's greatest wine to date, but, heck, it's only been two vintages so far for the young, dynamic winemaker at her own winery. It starts with sharp citrus, lime, peach and classic mineral notes on the nose. The mineral edge carries to the palate with added orange peel and lime that's clean and refreshing with such wonderful clarity of fruit. A beautiful thing.

Rick Van Sickle, Oct 2010

Sue-Ann's wines are produced from her 200 year old family-owned property on the 20 mile bench sub appellation. A region that has set a benchmark for terroir-specific Rieslings in the last few years. From 13 year old vines on thin clay soils comes a mineral forward riesling with ample sugar and coating mouth feel. Citrus qualities are evident throughout but the stoney and fruity notes dominate the palate. Delicious.

Suresh Doss, Spotlight on Toronto, September 2010