A single vineyard, strongly terroir wine by maestro Ken Helm AM, from fruit picked off neighbour Al Lustenberger's property, only released under the premium black label if it reaches the highest quality benchmarks. Since 2005 the collaboration of Lustenberger and Helm has claimed more than fourteen trophies. Ken Helm knows from great Riesling wines, he remains custodian of a heritage that's been handed down for generations, brought to the new world in the 1860s, by German growers who emigrated from the Rhineland to establish vineyards in Australia.
Riesling has been Ken Helm's passion for well over thirty years. He is a direct descendant of Rhine Valley vignerons and arguably understands Riesling better than anyone else in Australia. The Lustenberger vineyard sits at 650 metres, it faces north with an east to west row orientation, vertical shoot canopy managed, it's designed for maximum protection of fruit against sunburn, a main cause of inferior quality harvests and fruit taint. The soil consists of conglomerate volcanic ironstone and sandstone with a reasonable depth of friable over clay soils. Only those parcels of fruit which can display the essential qualities required of a national flagship Riesling wine are considered for inclusion into Black Label Helm.
Pale light straw colour. Fresh lifted floral nose showcasing topical lime and lemon citrus characters, mineral and spice. A soft acid palate displaying ferric notes, drying crystaline nature and slate, indicative of the iron soils content. Persistence of fruit with an elegant structure, offering all the classic varietal flavours of the finest slow ripened, cool climate Rieslings.