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The key to understanding Swinney’s Riesling is to appreciate the farming. All blocks are organically dry-farmed, the vines are cane-pruned and the row orientation is north to south. The team uses shade cloth in the Riesling blocks to protect the bunches from excessive sun exposure and avoid any roasted character in the fruit. Such precise vineyard management goes some way to explaining the wine’s purity and transparency.
Rob Mann’s search for structure and texture reigns in the cellar. The fruit (from two of Swinney’s oldest blocks in Powderbark Vineyard) is pressed as bunches and ferments naturally in stainless steel with a high solids component. This “builds nuance and a saline core in the wine”, according to Mann. The wine then rests on lees in tank to preserve freshness and build texture before bottling.
Vintage 2024 came early. It was one of the hottest, driest years on record, so Swinney’s meticulous farming methods were more critical than ever in ensuring pristine Riesling fruit made it to Rob Mann in the cellar. Despite the atypical conditions, Mann tells us the season delivered fruit of “tremendous depth and intensity with balanced, high natural acidity”.