2022 Ravensworth Seven Months

94 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

Whoa. That colour. Ruddy! Scents of tangy vermouth, alpine herbs, tart cherry, some floral whiffs and honey, gewurz shows its hand. The palate is slick then really chewy, wow, tannin plus, the cider apple pucker and dryness for the finish. Floral flavours, yes, vermouth-like for sure, the fruit and spice elements are strong. Wildly complex. Texture is amazing. Intriguing. A serious wine here.

93 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

Pinot Gris, gewurztraminer, seven months in gestation, then to bottle and released as a textural, nee orange wine. A bright orange colour in the glass. Inviting. It does good chalky pucker and chomp with refreshing undertows of saline acidity. Amongst that, mandarin, dried citrus peel, pear, dried and fresh, lime and faint lychee. Yes, a fruitiness, prettiness even, but it works in tandem with more nutty savoury notes and the general tang of herbs and skin ferment zing. Attractive drinking in its genre.

91 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Seven Months is a skin-contact blend of Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. It was destemmed and macerated in amphorae for seven months (hence the name), followed by a further 18 months in 2,000-liter foudre. It has a dirty flamingo hue and aromas of orange oil and coffee grounds, lemon rind, kumquat, dried mint, cold tea, Tahitian vanilla and barley. The wine is shaped by grippy tannins that speak of paraffin, incense ash, tobacco and cedar. It's crunchy, slightly sour, dusty, complex and layered, and the lychee component from the Gewürztraminer remains, which I find pleasing. Skin-contact white wine is a nuanced category, and this is not a beginner's wine. 11.8% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.