REGION:
South Australia, 2011
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING:
The grapes for this wine were sourced from Angove’s own Nanya vineyards and premium growers in the Riverland region. Soils are predominantly red sandy loam over limestone, on gently undulating east west ridges.
The 2011 Vintage was extremely cool with drought breaking reigns finally arriving across most of South Australia’s vineyard regions. This cooler year has been great for aromatic varietal expression, with many of the white varieties harvested later but with lower alcohol levels than in previous years. White varieties also benefited from a juicy natural acidity contributing to excellent palate weight and flavour persistence overall.
Picked late at night to harvest the grapes as cold as possible the grapes were transported to the winery and pressed using modern membrane tank presses. After cold settling the clear juice was carefully racked to cooled fermentation tanks and inoculated with selected yeasts. Cool fermentation was followed by minimal handling filtration and bottling at the Angove’s winery.
WINEMAKERS NOTES:
Pale straw with green hues. Distinctive floral characters from the Riesling are lifted by the aromatically precocious Gewurztraminer. The palate delivers lime, citrus, rose petal and spice with a clean medium approachable finish. A great accompaniment too many spicy foods and fish dishes, it is perfect on a warm Summer afternoon with friends.
TECHNICAL:
Variety: Riesling, Gewurztraminer
Alcohol: 11.0 %
Total Acidity: 7.6 gms/l
Residual Sugar: 10.5 gms/l
Fine Wine Club - Barry Weinman - Feb 2012 - 17.5+ Points
“Lovely nose with rose petal and floral perfume. Bright and zesty, this is very attractive. Excellent lenght and the touch of residual sugar is balanced by refined acidity, amking this a joy to drink. The + is for another reviewer who almost gave this a gold medal!”
Western Suburbs Weekly - John Jens - 20.12.11 - 18+ Points
“I find it difficult to even entertain the idea that there is a better value wine of any sort in Australia today. The tasting panel has seen about 40 riesling predominant wines in the past couple of weeks and this is marvellous in its own right, let alone at this price. This shows the perfumed rose petal aromatics of the traminer and, with its soft and slightly sweet Germanic flavour profile and feel, it will be a winner with Asian cuisine and Thai dishes especially. I would also have this wine with white and red meat curry dishes and believe that you will be thrilled with this match – if you are prepared to step out of your comfort zone!”
Wine Companion - James Halliday - Feb/Mar 2012 - 90 Points 4 Stars
“A cleverly made wine, with a deliberate touch of residual sweetness making it a walk-up match for Chinese food; lime and lemon the driving flavours. Absurdly good at the price, for it has finesse and length.”
Geelong Advertiser - Eleanor Woods & Jenna Meade - 12.11.11
“This drop starts with a satisfying citrus on the nose. In fact, a burst of freshly squeezed lemon and lime almost springs right out of the glass. The character is true to that of a well-made riesling, with a smooth and sweet flavour of nectar.”
Mount Barker Courier - 02.11.11
“....is perfumed, with lime and a hint of tropical fruit on the palate which finishes soft and scrumptious.”
The Advertiser ‘Top 100 Wines’ - Tony Love - 92 Points
“Two varieties in a suitable marriage, the more exotic gewurztraminer grape adding tropical fruit salad to a more orange than lemon-like base from the riesling’s sophisticated minerally palate feel. Brilliant value.”
Courier Mail - Tony Love - 13.09.11 - 3 Stars
“Another great example of this most suitable marriage, the more exotic gewurztraminer grape adding a touch of tropical fruit salad to a more orange than lemon-like citrus base from the riesling. Then there’s the quite sophisticated minerally, powdery palate feel that lifts this a big notch above most others on the cheapie shelves.”
Sunday Tasmanian - Graeme Phillips - 06.02.11
“A bright, clear, green/gold colour and sweetly spicy aromas leading to a soft, broad, citrusy-accented and nicely balanced palate before a short but pleasingly fresh, clean finish.”
The Age - Epicure - 04.01.11 - 4 Stars
“An unorthodox blend in sophisticated Victoria, Riesling-traminers like this ruled the New South Wales wine scene for years. From South Australia’s Murray Valley, it dovetails the apple and lime-like fruit of Riesling with the musky florals and exotic spice of gewurz. It tastes ripely fruity, soft and clean, finishing dry. A crowd pleaser.”
Adelaide Advertiser - Top 100 Wines - 10.11.10 - 92 Points
“Grown at Angove’s Riverland vineyard yet with all the focus of fat cooler territories, this is the wine you should drink with Thai - every night of the week! It’s got that distinctive rose petal lift from the gewurz and terrific powdery mouthfeel. What a bargain.”
Quaff 2011 - Peter Forrestal
The Best Wines in Australia Under $15 - Good
"There’s certainly a bright youthfulness about this blend at present. It exudes floral aromatics, has a lively sweetness on the mid-palate, with the distinctive grapey flavours of gewurztraminer (the full name of the variety is on the bottle for the first time), finishing crisp and zesty."
Adelaide Advertiser - Tony Love - 03.11.10 - 4 Stars - also appeared in the Courier Mail
"With all the keen-edged citrus focus you'd expect from cooler climates plus a distinctive rose-petal perkiness, genuine powdery mouthfeel and just there residual sweetness, this is a stunner for the price."
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion - 2011 Edition - 4 Stars 89 Points
Top 10 Best Value Whites
"I fully expected some sweetness, but lo and behold, although the wine is juicy, it is dry; this in turn make sit a great bargain to buy today and drink tonight at your favourite Chinese restaurant."
Quaff 2010 - Peter Forrestal
The Best Wines in Australia Under $15 - Good
'This is a fragrant, sweet white with dramatic rose petal aromas, pure grapey flavours, neat balance, and a finish that is crisp, fresh and sweet. In 2009, it's just as good: youthful, zesty even tangy, with spicy rose petals, some mid-palate sweetness and crisp, lively acidity to finish.'
Sunday Tasmanian - 10.5.09
Butterfly Ridge Riesling 2008
"Sweet, musk-lolly aromas and flavours that just might pass muster if given a really good chill. Otherwise, it's strictly for sweet-tooths."
The Advertiser - May 2009 - Tony Love
Butterfly Ridge Riesling 2008 - 93 Points
"Quite recognisable lemon-lime sorbet aromas announce the style of this cheapie and, yep, they're seductive with a little sweet twist on the palate plus a dash of minerals for a textural layer and genuinely friendly drinking at this price."
Phillip Stubbs - Geelong Advertiser - 2.5.09 - 7/10
A light tangy style with freshness upfront and a surprising flavour profile for such a bargain price. Soft spice and floral pot-pourri aromas are the forerunners to a crisp body with citrus flavours providing a balance to the sweeter traminer style. The layers of flavour are well defined.
Paddy Kendler - Herald Sun - Page 34 - 7.4.09 3 Star Review
Butterfly Ridge has become a successful "fighting brand" for Riverland-based Angove, a family company that consistently makes and markets good-value wines at all price points. This blend of the compatible riesling and traminer may not cause the earth to move, but it's a useful option for those searching for an everyday quaffer with some juicy sweetness to bolster the flavour, and only gentle acidity towards the finish.
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine - Best Buy Wines - Peter Forrestal - 1.03.09
For a few years now, Angove have been one of the quality players in the market for Australian wines under $15. Vineyard Select focuses on regional identity while the Long Row and Butterfly Ridge ranges are proudly from the Riverland - much of it sourced from the now splendid Nanya vineyard near Renmark. This is a fragrant sweet white with dramatic rose petal aromas, pure grapey flavours, neat balance, and a finish that is crisp, fresh and sweet. Perfect with spicy curries.
Sunday Times - Peter Forrestal - 9.11.08
An alluring sweet white with voluminous rose-petal aromas, pure grapey flavours, beautiful balance, finishing crisp, fresh and sweet. Great with curries.