Why not start with a dozen classy white wines made from the ultimate wine-geek variety Riesling - does it now figure on people's wine shopping lists, or is everyone still obsessed with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio? If it's the latter, you're missing out.
Retail prices quoted are in €s (Ireland) or £s (UK), and cellar door in $ Aus/NZ where available.
Frankland Estate - Frankland River, Western Australia.
Frankland Estate winery is run by brother and sister Hunter and Elizabeth Smith, with Elizabeth’s husband Brian Kent in charge of winemaking. Barrie Smith and Judi Cullam first planted vines on 'Isolation Ridge' in 1988, which they describe as "Western Australia’s most isolated wine region, located 330km south of Perth, 250km east of Margaret River and 50km inland from the Great Southern coastline." Certified organic. Bottle shot from franklandestate.com.au.
Frankland Estate Riesling 2023 (13% abv): From parcels of Riesling planted in 2006 and 1988. Clean and crisp style with delicate oily Riesling fruit, nice long tasty finish. €23, $35 Aus.
Isolation Ridge Vineyard Riesling 2023 (13% abv): Sourced from the original (1988) plantings, 10% of it barrel-fermented and the finished wine left on yeast-lees for 10 months. More aromatic and intense with lees and lime fruit notes, long fresh and classy finish. Very good. €29, $58 Aus.
Wakefield Wines - Clare Valley, South Australia.
Wakefield Estate Riesling 2023 (12% abv): Zippy and tight mouthfeel, nice and crisp with oily undertones, pretty intense finish. £12-£15, $18 US. $18-$22 Aus.
St. Andrews Riesling 2024 (11.5% abv): Youthful and very zesty, concentrated and intense with hints of oily fruit followed by zingy elegant finish; needs time to open up, classy Riesling. £24-£26. $38-$45 Aus.
Forrest Estate - Marlborough, New Zealand.
Drs. John and Brigid Forrest have scientific and medical backgrounds and decided to establish vineyards and winery in the late 1980s, returning to their home turf in Marlborough region with the first vintage in 1990. Today, Beth Forrest is general manager and winemaker aided by brothers Sam and Reid.
The Doctors Riesling 2022 (9% abv): Aromatic and oily, light refreshing palate with chalky and medium-dry finish. Appealing maturing Riesling for those who wouldn't like the bone-dry style of say the St. Andrews above, and probably a good match with spicy food too. €17.99, £10-£14, $22 NZ.
Pikes - Clare Valley, South Australia.
The Pike family originally started producing beer in South Australia in 1886, followed 100 years later by the launch of the first Pike's wine from Polish Hill in 1985 then beer was resurrected in 1996. Winery and brewery remain family-run by brothers Jamie, Alister and Stuart.
Wirra Wirra - South Australia.
Set up in the heart of red wine country McLaren Vale over 100 years ago - the original cellar dates from 1894 and underwent a 'state of the art upgrade' last year - their white grapes are sourced from Adelaide Hills vineyards. Photo from wirrawirra.com.
The Lost Watch Adelaide Hills Riesling 2023 (12.5% abv): Zesty and chalky, delicate juicy palate with oily vs citrus fruit finish, intense dry finish; tasty Riesling. €20, $28 Aus, ฿1170 Bangkok.
Heapy Vineyard - Nelson, New Zealand.
This 10-hectare vineyard was originally planted in 1973 and lies on the Moutere Hills overlooking Tasman Bay on the north coast of South Island. The winery has a tasting room and restaurant open for lunch five days a week.
Riesling 2023 (12.5% abv): 'Naturally achieved 7g/rs' (residual sugar) hence it's slightly off-dry yet still pretty intense, chalky and crisp; nice aromatic yeast-lees vs oily tones, lots of flavour, very good. €20, £13-£15.50.
Moutere Riesling 2023 (13.5% abv): From 'the oldest Riesling vineyard in New Zealand' (50 years); part of the wine was aged in a 'Drunk Turtle' amphora, which apparently is an ovoid-shaped mixed-ceramic container. Similar style to above but more concentrated, intense and richer, with lingering crisp chalky finish. Wow, serious Riesling. €26, £16-£18.50.
Photo from heaphyvineyard.com.
Lawson's Dry Hills - Marlborough, New Zealand.
The original vineyard was planted in 1982 by Ross and Barbara Lawson, who launched the Lawson’s Dry Hills label ten years later. Today, five white (Riesling, Sauvignon, Chardy, Pinot Gris and Gewurz) and one red (Pinot Noir) varieties are grown in different sites in the Wairau, Waihopai, Omaka and Awatere Valleys; the estate Rieslings are sourced from their Waihopai block.
Estate Riesling 2019 (11.5% abv, 8.8 g/l residual sugar): Aromatic and zingy with characteristic maturing notes on an elegant, tasty, off-dry finish. Good, probably close to its peak. €22, $22 NZ, £15 UK.
Estate Riesling 2018 (11.5% abv, 8 g/l RS): Nice developed oily aromas and flavours set against still lively lime fruit, zingy with fresh acidity underneath; very nice Riesling indeed. €22, $22 NZ, £12-£14.
Image from lawsonsdryhills.co.nz
Pegasus Bay - North Canterbury, New Zealand.
Neurologist Professor Ivan Donaldson became interested in wine in the early 1970s and, after travelling to some of Europe's wine regions, returned home to plant one of the first vineyards in Canterbury with newly-wed Christine. Making wine as a hobby until the mid 1980s, they decided there was definitely a future for wine in Canterbury and ended up planting Pegasus Bay with the help of their four sons (winemaker Matthew, marketing manager Edward, Michael, local sales manager, and Paul, winery general manager).
Bel Canto Riesling 2023 (13.9% abv, 5.3 g/l RS): 30+ year-old vines with a large proportion planted on own rootstocks, late-picked hand-selected bunches with a portion of botrytis, fermented to (almost) dryness. Quite rich and full-bodied Alsace-style Riesling with enticing oily texture yet attractive zesty finish. Good stuff. €36, $40 NZ, £26-£30.
Tap for more info on their website.
No comments:
Post a Comment