Winemaker's Notes
Riesling is a versatile grape variety. It can be made in many different styles from dry to semi-dry, sweet and even sparkling. We believe that Riesling grown in cool climate wine regions, like Niagara, produce food-friendly and age-worthy wines. Our ‘Old Vines’ Riesling is an excellent example of this. It has classic old world aromas of flint with nuances of lemon and lime adding freshness. We made this wine in an unoaked, dry style with a thread of tangy acidity.
Vineyard Manager's Notes
Riesling was one of the first varieties we planted in 1978 and that original block is still producing very good fruit. Since then the demand for Riesling has increased and so too have our plantings, but this wine is made from just the older, more mature vines. Riesling vines can be quite generous so we have to manage the yield of each vine quite carefully. This starts in the early spring when we prune and continues until late summer when we do the “green harvest”. Since we have practiced sustainable agriculture right from the beginning, these pruned bunches are tilled into the soil to replenish nutrients.
Bosc Family Food Pairings
Riesling can be just as versatile in the kitchen as it is in the cellar, particularly when made in a drier style like this one. It’s often paired with spicy dishes to soften the heat but we like our Riesling with simple baked halibut topped with butter-lemon sauce.
Technical Notes
| Harvest Date |
Alcohol |
Brix at Harvest |
PH |
Total Acidity |
Cases Produced |
Residual Sugar |
| October 15 |
11.6% |
19.5˚ |
3.12 |
6.7 |
1042 |
8.2 g/L |
Featured Accolades
"Riesling lovers take note; sourced from vines approximately 20 years old, this is delicious and quite special. It offers classic, cool-climate, dry-riesling aromas of sharp citrus notes, gun-flint minerality and notions of petrol. There’s a bracing line of laser-like flavour streaking over the palate with tangy lime, passionfruit and saline mineral notes to the fore. This has time on its side to evolve, although you can easily drink now; try with pan-seared fish or mussels steamed in white wine and leeks" 91 points. -- Vic Harradine, winecurrent.com, December 2020
“Another fine Old Vines Niagara riesling from Château des Charmes, one of the strongest wines in the portfolio in my view, with a consistent track record dating back now many years. The 2015 is a particularly ripe and rich … offering intense lime aroma/flavours on an essentially dry frame (8 grams/litre RS), braced by comfortable acids and given a breadth and depth by an additional range of honeyed, candied citrus and pear/orchard fruit flavours. Length is very good to excellent.” 90 points. --John Szabo, winealign.com, September 2018.
“A beaut with spicy or higher acidic foods. Lots of orchard fruit character.” 90 points. --Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures, September 2018.
“Bright, pale straw colour; slightly oily, minerally, honeyed grapefruit nose; light-bodied, off-dry, tangerine, grapefruit and lemon flavour; beautifully balanced and lingering with a touch of honey on the finish.” 90 points. --Tony Aspler, tonyaspler.com, August 2019
"Always a special wine from St. David’s. It’s a lime bomb on the nose with notes of lemon, crisp green apple and profound minerality. It’s zippy and fresh on the palate, a smidge of honey, with lime, grapefruit, ginger, stony minerality and balancing acidity. Should age well for another five years but already hitting its stride." 91 points. --Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com, August 2019
