Clare Valley Riesling report
March 2007

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Fifteen 2006 vintage Rieslings from "Planet Clare" (as Freddie and his B52s almost said), one of Australia's premium regions for a variety I seem to be getting a bit obsessed with (must be the "pink air" and "red trees"...) Plus a trio of sublime 'Bordeaux' blend reds that proved difficult to leave out. Including Grosset, Annies Lane, Jeanneret, Jim Barry, Kilikanoon, Knappstein, Koonowla, Leasingham, Mitchell's, Mount Horrocks, Neagles Rock, Olssens, Petaluma, Sevenhill, Skillogalee, Wakefield and Tim Adams.
2006 appears to be a successful, well-balanced vintage for Riesling in the Clare Valley judging by these wines, which are mostly very zingy with tight framework needing a few months in bottle to express themselves. Andrew Mitchell, CV winemakers' chairman, commented: "High natural acidity was a feature this year and Riesling in particular displayed excellent chemical analysis." Somehow I couldn't imagine his German or French counterparts saying those last two words!
The only 2005 vintage on tasting (Neagles Rock Reserve) was a nice stylistic contrast and indicates how Oz Riesling can develop complex 'mineral oil' characters even after one year. I found I least liked Rieslings with 13.5% alcohol, most of them being a bit 'warm' and out of kilter. In addition, those from certain districts within Clare tend to show more finesse, such as Watervale, Hanlin Hill and Polish Hill. Perhaps it's an altitude thing: vineyards in the latter two sites are planted either side of 500 metres (1600 feet).

Riesling

Annies Lane, 2006 Coppertrail - zestier and more lifted than their 'basic' Riesling, showing a steely mineral palate and fresh citrus fruit; crisp intensity v a touch of softness on the finish. 87-89

Grosset, 2006 Polish Hill - limey and oily, super zesty and tight palate with long incisive finish; actually showing more fruit and less austere at this stage than previous vintages, from memory. 92+

Jim Barry, 2006 Lodge Hill - tight chalky lime mouth-feel, very crisp yet weightier too (13.5%), fresh and zingy; tad too much alcohol on the finish but it's still good in the end. 87-89

Kilikanoon, 2006 Mort's Reserve - edgier and greener than their 'basic' Riesling, very steely on its mineral length. 88-90

Knappstein, 2006 Ackland (Watervale) - lovely floral nose leads to a limey chalky palate, incisive bite v white peach fruit; again 13.5% comes through yet it works in the overall framework of things. 90

Koonowla 2006 - honeysuckle and white peach notes, very zesty with nice mineral style and length. 88

Leasingham, 2006 Bin 7 - quite gentle mineral palate to start builds to a biting yet balanced finish, zesty and exciting. 90-92

Mitchell's, 2006 Watervale - fuller 13.5% style yet it's quite classy with zingy lime fruit, perhaps a little 'hot' but good nevertheless. 87-89

Neagles Rock Vineyards, 2005 Reserve 'Frisky Filly' - showing a little 'petrolly' development on the nose, very crisp green citrus fruit v oily texture, nice style and zing. 90-92

Olssens of Watervale 2006 - eye-watering acidity set on a lemon oil palate, crisp long finish. 90

Petaluma, 2006 Hanlin Hill - gummy zesty floral notes lead to peachy softer palate, elegant crisp acidity and extract, stylish length. 92

Sevenhill Cellars 2006 - a touch oilier with floral white peach tones, soft yet crisp, juicy oily texture v zesty elegant length. 88-90

Skillogalee 2006 - floral v 'petrol' notes, fuller softer palate yet still zesty and mineral. 87-89

Tim Adams 2006 - more 'Germanic' showing tight framework with floral lime and white peach fruit, oily elegant finish. 89-91

Mount Horrocks 2006 - slightly reductive nose, probably just needs some air; superb zesty mouth-feel with vibrant lime fruit and chalky fresh length. 90-92

Reds

Jeanneret, 2003 Cabernets (organic) - herby spicy cassis turning more savoury, firm complex yet powerful palate with dry texture and underlying ripeness. 92-94

Grosset, 2001 Gaia (mostly Cabernet Sauvignon plus Cabernet Franc and a touch of Merlot) - savoury v minty notes, pure cassis with floral edges v earthy black plum fruit, rich v fresh with maturing fruit yet still firm structure. Yum. 93-95

Wakefield, 2001 St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon - herbal minty yet also savoury nose, meaty fruit and tannins v seductive ripe smoky fruit; lovely wine. 92-94

Wakefield, 2002 St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon - perfumed red pepper tones, beginning to turn savoury; quite elegant (despite 14.5%) with dry tannins, pruney backdrop and subtle mint on its more closed, less revealing finish. 90-92

Posted March 2007

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