Cyrene 2016
'Made exactly like Sauternes', the 2016 vintage (5*) is a 3:1 blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, matured for a year in oak barrels (50 per cent new). Amber-hued, with a strong botrytis influence, it has concentrated, ripe, peachy, honeyed flavours, abundant sweetness (125 grams/litre of residual sugar), finely balanced acidity, and a slightly oily richness. Lovely drinking now onwards. ***** Michael Cooper 2020
Buy a case (12 bottles) to get 12% discount - If you would like to organise a mixed case please email kevin@riverbyestate.com and we can put together a special order.
It is instantly appealing on the nose showing honey, orange marmalade, tropical fruit and spice aromas, leading to a fabulously sweet palate that is velvety and creamy. The wine offers terrific richness and intensity, beautifully framed by vibrant acidity. A delectable sweet wine. ***** 93/100
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit. Sept 2018
Golden syrup, toffee, toffee apple, honey, grilled citrus, initially sweet. The palate adds spices and musk, a smoky core too, with a bittersweet element adding contrast. This really comes into its own with aeration as citrussy notes of lemon and burnt orange are joined by a line of racy acidity, giving this lovely freshness. Grows very nicely. Excellent.
Mark Henderson, ODT, Sept 2022
Riverby's take on classic Sauternes, this is 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc, with plenty of Botrytis and 14.0% alcohol. It spent 12 months in oak barrels, 50% new, and boasts 125g/l of luscious residual sugar. Flooded with apricot - fresh and dried - barley sugar and hints of bergamot/Earl Grey tea, the palate is slippery and viscous, a certain smokiness of mango and papaya, then a star-bright burst of lemon to the acidity. It is an extremely intense and powerful wine, that actually needs food; fully sweet desserts, foie gras or blue cheese, to stand up to the formidable power. This will age for many, many years. 95/100
Tom Cannavan, Wine-Pages.com. Nov 2022
Technical Notes
Alcohol: 14.0% Acidity: 8.4 PH: 3.61 Residual Sugar: 125 gm.
2016 was a perfect Marlborough vintage for sweet wines with grapes ripening well before regular showers saw botrytis set in and do its magic. The vintage was so suitable that we decided to make our first ever sweet wine using the time-honoured Sauternes approach. We set aside several rows of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the traditional Sauternes blend, and left them to rot long after the rest of the vineyard had been harvested, even after our noble Riesling had been picked. The beautifully “rotten” grapes were hand-picked on 27 May 2016 at 38.1 brix, before being moved to the winery, where they were destemmed and cold soaked for 24 hours. They were then given a slow, gentle pressing to extract the rich, pure juice. After being cold settled this juice was moved to barrels, 50% of them brand new. Fermentation was eventually stopped when the ideal balance was reached between sweetness and alcohol. The wines then spent almost 10 months in oak before being bottled on 22 March 2017. We decided to allow the wine time to age in bottle before it was eventually released. It is a vibrant deep gold colour. The nose is clean, crisp and elegant with marmalade, dried apricots, honey, almonds, butterscotch and the classical Sauternes notes of orange peel, orange zest and burnt caramelised toffee. On the palate it is rich and mouth-coating with apricots, citrus, orange zest, honey, marzipan and burnt toffee. The precise acid balance, mouth-feel and deceptive sweetness all contribute towards a sensational wine with elegance and refinement. This is a sensual wine that lingers beautifully and seductively in the mouth. It will continue to develop and age gracefully for many years to come, becoming even richer and more complex as it ages.