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86POINTS
15½/20
Tantalus Old Vines Riesling Piquette 2020
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaIf you haven't heard, orange wine / volcanic wine / natural wine is no longer the hot new wine category; it's piquette. Though it certainly sounds new and trendy, piquette is a very old traditional French way of using up grape skins and stems, giving them a quick (re)ferment, and bottling them right away, capturing the slight effervescence, and slighter alcohol (here 5.1.%) for a refreshing drink, usually for the farmers, to consume near instantly. It's a byproduct of the winemaking process, and not 'wine' itself. This super humble, super economical product is now a hot category, demanding quite a high price, and a place on hip kids' wine programs. The Tantalus Piquette fits that bill. This comes from gently-pressed grape skins and stems of their Block 5 Old Vines Riesling, rehydrated with water for a few days and re-pressed. The resulting juice was fermented in stainless, and bottled while still fermenting to capture a that piquette prickle. Crab apple, subtle apricot fuzz, elderflower float on a light, sour, gently frizzy palate to a short, dry finish. Certainly would be refreshing on a hot day in the vineyards, especially stone (read ice) cold.Tasted: 25 May 2021Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| BC | $17.50 | 750ml | winery online/direct |
Grape: RieslingCSPC: 63782UPC: 626990332084
