The Rosie’s Block vineyards. Neudorf Vineyards

Devotees of Neudorf wines will recall a sweeter version of Moutere Riesling which sat alongside their Moutere Dry Riesling. It hasn’t been made for a number of years—a scan through our tasting note archive reveals a long gap in reviews. When it was in production, that wine regularly earned top scores of gold level (95 points), balancing a medium-dry level of sweetness with lower alcohol in classic German fashion.

Another change over the years is that Neudorf has adopted vineyard naming for their main estate wines in Moutere so the Home Block is now labelled Home Block (planted in chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot gris); Tom’s Block is all pinot noir and Rosie’s Block is planted in chardonnay, riesling and albariño. Owners, the Finn family, also work closely with growers Stuart and Patricia Anderson in the Flaxmore Valley whose vineyard provides chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot gris for the non-estate wines.

Their riesling program now falls under the Rosie’s Block Moutere moniker as that’s the estate source for the variety. Rosie’s Block is named after Rosie Finn, daughter of founders Tim and Judy, who is now the international marketing and brand manager for the winery. The vineyard itself sits at 90m above sea level, overlooking the Home Block, with a north-facing aspect. The soils are sandy loams and Moutere clay gravels, similar to the Home Block but with less gravel and about 19% clay content. It is also dry-farmed and certified organic with Biogro, just like the older (1978) Home Block.

Rosie’s Block Moutere Dry Riesling has been in production for long enough to earn One Merit in The Real Review Wine Classification of New Zealand. Our earliest review on record is 2011; the land itself was purchased in 1999 from the Beuke family, also descendants of the German settlers in the area (and coincidentally, I flatted with their daughter when I was at university!). Plantings span from 1999 through to 2003, 2009 and most recently, 2013. The Dry Riesling is traditionally balanced at the 12.5% alcohol level and almost bone-dry in most years.

2025 sees the return of the sweeter style, a spiritual successor to the Moutere Riesling of yesteryear, under the new name of Rosie’s Block Moutere Riesling 2025. It is a spectacular wine, earning a top score for its debut (or return, depending on how one views it).

The fruit was entirely hand-harvested on the 30th March, gently whole-bunch pressed and settled for 48 hours. It was then racked to stainless steel where fermentation started spontaneously. It did not undergo malolactic conversion and reached its final balance at high acidity with a well-hidden, luscious 46 grams per litre of residual sugar and 9.5% alcohol. This sits somewhere between a German spätlese in weight and a kabinett in sweetness. These light and racy rieslings are versatile with both sweeter and salty food but are traditionally enjoyed on their own, too.

It is a very thoughtful and frankly brilliant way of responding to the larger cropping 2025 vintage, creating a wine of immediate appeal yet supporting it with great acidity and purity so it can be enjoyed over many years if cellared. Will this cuvée continue now that it’s back or will this be a one-off opportunity? Either way, it is a welcome re-emergence and perfectly timed for summer.