The 2012 Benchmark Sweet Wines
of Framingham and Andrew Hedley

“New Zealand’s Best Sweet Winemaker.”
Bob Campbell MW

“The Best New Zealand Wine I have ever tried”
Jancis Robinson MW, about the F-Series Riesling Auslese 2011

“unlike anything seen before in New Zealand”
Raymond Chan, of the 2011 release

Hi from Anto,

I am very pleased to offer you a small parcel of the sought-after 2012 Framingham F-Series sweet wines.

If you’re anything like me, your cellar is weighted towards your favourite red wine styles. Yet if you’ve ever drunk great aged sweet wines, be they Sauternes or Mosel, I’m sure you’ll agree they are some of the most profound wine-drinking experiences you can have.

It’s with that thought in mind that I recommend these Framingham wines for their great cellar potential. So strong was the preceding 2011 vintage that Framingham went from producing very good sweet wines, to producing wines of a quality that had quite simply never been seen before in New Zealand.

International critics were astounded by the sublime combination of texture, sweetness, varietal character and searing acidity. For the UK’s most influential wine critic Jancis Robinson MW to pick a Framingham F-Series Auslese 2011 as the finest wine she’d ever tried from NZ indicated a seismic shift in the perception of what could be achieved in this country. Suddenly the F-Series sweet wines are on strict allocation and sell out immediately on release.

Raymond Chan was one of the first of many NZ critics to award perfect scores to the 2011 TBA, and you can see from his scores below that he rates the 2012s as also outstanding. With the wines getting such great press internationally and domestically, I feel certain that prices will increase and we will look back on these current prices wistfully.

Yields were well down in 2012 meaning “quantities are ridiculously small” as Andrew Hedley describes it.  We’ve managed to secure a small allocation of these wines and will sell them direct to our Cellar Journal customers. The wines represent great value and a great opportunity to add diversity to your cellar.

Regards,

Anto Coates
FWDC Wine Program Manager

Please note: The allocations of these superb wines are tiny. We have placed restrictions on them initially to ensure a fair distribution. If you would like more than your allocation please indicate and we will come back to you in 48-hours should there be surplus stocks left.

To secure your stocks, please complete the order form below and reply to wine@finewinedelivery.co.nz

Framingham F-Series Riesling Spatlese 2012 (750ml)

$34.99 per bottle
44 bottles available
Maximum 6 bottles per customer

Raymond Chan 18.5-/20, 5 stars

“Hand-picked fruit with no botrytis, blended from two picks. ‘Front’ of winery portion 40%, indigenous yeast fermented in old oak, ‘Back’ of winery portion 60%, stainless-steel fermented, 8.9% alc., 58 g/L rs. Bright straw-yellow colour with hints of gold, pale on rim. The bouquet is softly full and open with pure aromas of limes and citrus fruits with complex notes of dry minerals and flinty-earth elements. Medium-sweet, concentrated flavours of limes and minerals form a finely-textured palate line with excellent drive. The acidity is soft, providing a gentle elegance and sufficient poise, and the wine flows with good presence to a dry, but softly rich finish. This is a Germanic styled, medium Riesling with soft textures. Serve as an aperitif, or match with Asian cuisine over the next 4-5+ years. 440 bottles made.”

Framingham F-Series Riesling Auslese 2012 (375ml)

$39.99 per bottle
21 bottles available
Maximum 3 bottles per customer

Raymond Chan 19.5-/20, 5 stars

“Hand-picked fruit with no botrytis, blended from two picks. ‘Front’ of winery portion 40%, indigenous yeast fermented in old oak, ‘Back’ of winery portion 60%, stainless-steel fermented, 8.9% alc., 58 g/L rs. Bright straw-yellow colour with hints of gold, pale on rim. The bouquet is softly full and open with pure aromas of limes and citrus fruits with complex notes of dry minerals and flinty-earth elements. Medium-sweet, concentrated flavours of limes and minerals form a finely-textured palate line with excellent drive. The acidity is soft, providing a gentle elegance and sufficient poise, and the wine flows with good presence to a dry, but softly rich finish. This is a Germanic styled, medium Riesling with soft textures. Serve as an aperitif, or match with Asian cuisine over the next 4-5+ years. 440 bottles made. 18.5-/20”

Framingham F-Series Riesling Beerenauslese 2012 (375ml)

$59.99 per bottle
3 bottles available
Maximum 1 bottle per customer

Raymond Chan 19.5/20, 5 stars

“Hand-harvested fruit, picked 12 June at 174 Oechsle, from front and back of winery old vines with 100% botrytis affected berries, fermented in a 100 L stainless barrel to 7.0% alc. and 275 g/L rs. Meets Trockenbeerenauslese criteria. Bright, full and even light golden yellow colour. The bouquet is very full and packed with layers of aromas, unfolding to reveal ripe citrus fruits, exotic tropical fruits, honey, caramel and marmalade, beautifully lifted and fresh, and simultaneously decadent. Very sweet and nectar-like, this is extremely concentrated and intense with masses of ripe citrus and apricotty fruit interwoven with flavours of honey, marmalade, caramel, yet remarkably expressed with great pose and precision, Acid piquancy underlines the luscious sweetness and the palate flows seamlessly, with beautiful tension and energy, opening layers of detail and nuance right through to a very long and sustained finish. This is a decadent and hedonistic dessert wine with superb liveliness. Match with rich puddings and desserts or serve as a liqueur over the next 8-10 years. 210 bottles made. (375 ml)”