2015 Hintermen

A blend of 63% Riesling and 37% Petit Manseng. A buffalo hunt takes its party far off the beaten path into an uncharted, snow-covered forest. A moonlit clearing reveals a gnarled, once fruit-bearing tree, sheltering the elusive target. And in that moment they realize – despite the thrill of the hunt – they were chasing something else all along.

Lightwell Survey’s most complex wine is a blend of Ox-Eye Riesling and Petit Manseng from winemaker Ben Jordan’s family vineyard – and the mash up is something bold. Fat and waxy like a Chenin Blanc, honeycomb and apricot dominate the nose while tropical fruit and bracing acid take on the palate. Hintermen doesn’t joke around. It’ll last a while in the cellar too. 51 cases produced.

FRUIT SOURCES
100% Shenandoah Valley. Ox-Eye Riesling and Mount Airy Riesling and Petit Manseng.

WINEMAKING
Simple. Foot tread, then both varieties whole cluster pressed together. Juice racked relatively dirty and fermented with ambient yeasts in old 500L puncheon. Wine left on gross lees for 10 months. No malolactic. Bottled August 2016.

CHEMISTRY
pH: 3.14
TA: 7.0 g/L
Free SO2 at bottling: 16 ppm
Alcohol: 12.7% abv
RS: 1.45 g/L (0.15%)
Malic Acid: 1.83 g/L