2022 Stargazer Tupelo

Notes from the producer....
The name Tupelo was inspired by the Tupelo black gum, of which its honey is highly sought after for its unique characteristic of having the perfect balance of sugars that it doesn’t crystallise. My passion for white blends and the drive to find the perfect balance of sugar, acid and texture makes the naming of this wine perfect. Plus it’s the name of a Van Morrison song ‘Tupelo Honey’ and the place where Elvis was born. Given the praise this wine has received in recent vintages I’d say it’s keeping up with its heady namesake.
The blend of the 2022 is 37% Pinot Gris, 34% Riesling, 22% Pinot Blanc and 7% Gewürztraminer. This unusual blend mirrors the famous Alsatian ‘Gentil’ Styles marrying the body and texture of Pinot Gris with the spicy aromatics of Gewürztraminer and finishing with the finesse and acid structure of Riesling.
Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer taste so delicious straight off the vine in Coal River Valley, there is so much flavour in the skins. All of the component varietals are sourced from the Coal River Valley spread across 3 differing sub-regions namely, Richmond, Tea Tree and Campania.
All the grapes are hand picked, destemmed, and left on skins for approximately 8 hours then pressed off to seasoned oak for wild ferment. Gewurztraminer is left a little longer on skins pre-ferment for 2 days. All varietals are left on lees for 3.5 months with lees stirring every two weeks.
Wine is fined and filtered due to the 2.4 grams of RS purposely left in the wine.
Samantha Connew (September 2022)