I was interested to see the heavy stocking of riesling in the cellars of some forumites. Thought a riesling thread would spark some interest. Bit out of touch with the Southern Hemisphere so be great if anyone adds some interesting riesling to the thread.
Last night-
FX Pichler Riesling Reserve "M" 2011- This needed an hour in a half decanter to blow off its obscenity. Quite an intriguing wine, with Germanic like riesling notes dominating more fuller tropical fruit you'd expect from a big and ripe Austrian. Long wine, loaded with flavor and a little residual sugar gives a complete, almost creamy texture and the acidity does a deft job balancing an extreme experience.
94pts+
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
Saturday night... a good Aussie.... 1999 Re-release Heggies Reserve. It's a re-release as it was released later into the market, and under screwcap, the original release some 5 years earlier under cork.
Looking very good. It's not top tier, but was good enough to drink slowly and admire it. Slinky honeyed fruit that got better with air time, still enough intensity. Plenty in the tank to go a fair way yet.
Jamie, we probably drink 80% riesling at home. I reckon the top Aus rieslings in the cellar are: Seppelts Drumbourg Riesling. I redid the cellar recently and found half a dozen different vintages. I just wish I brought some every year. They just don't seem to have bad vintages. Grosset Springvale. I seem to prefer the springvale over the polish hill. it appears slightly lighter in style (as a relative concept) to the polish hill which seems to take decades to get to its drinking window. Leo Buring Eden Valley. At around $15 it has to be the best value white wines on the market. Petaluma Hanlin Riesling from good vintages. It really does need about 10 years to get in the zone but the 2002 was just awesome. I'm still waiting for the 2005 to open up. Sons of Eden Freya Riesling. I absolutely fell in love with the 2012 version of this wine from Eden Valley. Again at around $20 its amazing value. I put away a case to see what it does with age. Castle Rock Porongurup Riesling, I have started adding this wine to cellar purely based on the fantastic reviews from both JO and JH. Frankland River Isolation Ridge. this is another wine I have started putting down purely based on wide range of glowing reviews from wine critics both in Australia and overseas. It was the top wine in the recent Decanter Australian riesling tasting.
One riesling I have yet to try which gets great support is the Crawford River riesling. I know talking to Rob Geddes, who now does the Gold Book, that this was his personal favourite among Australian rieslings. The other notable omission in the cellar is the Pikes Merle. The 2013 vintage in South Australia appears as good as the 2012 so I may still be able to add some Merle.
We tried the 2011, 2012 and 2013 recently. All were very good with loads of time left in the tank, but the 2012 was absolutely singing. We will be buying more.
Leonay Peter Lehmann Wigan Pikes Merle If you like Henty stuff, Lethbridge is nice...I think most of the good ones (Seppelts as well) are really high acid with some residual (8-10g/L). Tertini Some Young Punks Monsters Attack
Mader Grand Cru Rosacker 2011- Old vines from the same Grand Cru plot as Clos St Hune. Fine and refined Alsatian, working well with food now but in just a few years should build a bit of weight to fill out the structure.
91pts +
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
I enjoyed the Frankland Estates a few years ago over a number of bottles with medium levels of maturity. A sure bet for the cellar I thought but I never got around to buying.
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
Pike's "The Merle" Riesling 2010- Very enjoyable now though a lack of vibrancy suggests a dumb phase. I pondered warm storage but there's some subtle complexities to the wine and a Berry Brother's purchase which supports sound provenance.
Classic Australian lemon and limes, light florals and a tang of development. Expansive and broad on the palate with a carry through of the aromatics with some interesting spice. Starts of with a little oily in the mouth and completes with slatey acidity and a fine phenolic grip - would be better with more powerful acidity. Great wine now and worth a punt on being just a little shy at the moment but better in time.
92pts
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
In no particular order. Some of the greatest rieslings (that havent been mentioned yet) i have had.
The Story - Henty Vinteloper - Odeon Jacobs Creek - Steingarten Jim Barry - The florita Clos Clare Crawford River Moores Hill Heemskerk (when Anna was at the helm) Granite Hills
Gotta say the Riesling I look forward to the most as of late is Clonakilla's. The 2013 was one of the best young Rieslings I've ever had. The 2014 Grosset Springvale is up there too.
Prager Riesling Achleiten Smaragd 2006- This wine has gone through an amazing development since my last bottle. The color has noticeably deepened into a rich yellow-gold and the wine's remarkable precision and finesse of youth has evolved toward a golden glory of tropic yellow fruits, infused with a minerality typical of this amazing vineyard site. Mouthfilling, with glorious and unctuous fruit flavors and a custard like sweet note in the mix too, prior to more tropical flavors riding the regal spine of acidity on the long finish.
Masterful.
95pts
I'm in the Wachau next week with a friend who has a holiday house on the Danube. Beautiful wine region, was there last year but this year a little more organized and we taste and dine with Prager, Hirtzberger, Knoll, Plicher. I love these wines and I encourage forumites not to dismiss Grand Cru Austrian riesling !
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
Grosset Polish Hill Grosset Springvale Crabtree Watervale The Wilson Vineyard Watervale Mitchell McNicol Tim McNeil Watervale Shut The Gate Polish Hill Kilikanoon Mort's Reserve Watervale Crabtree Hilltop Knappstein Ackland Watervale Stone Bridge Clare Valley Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Schieferterrassen Paullets aged Ries. Pikes merle? Not a bad drop but I think there's a lot in CV that eclipse it.
The 2007 Mitchell McNicol Riesling was excellent and probably my fave from this list. I need to get out of the Clare valley. Or do I ?
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Rossco wrote:In no particular order. Some of the greatest rieslings (that havent been mentioned yet) i have had.
The Story - Henty Vinteloper - Odeon Jacobs Creek - Steingarten Jim Barry - The florita Clos Clare Crawford River Moores Hill Heemskerk (when Anna was at the helm) Granite Hills
I have been up to the Granite Hills vineyard a couple of times now when I have been staying locally in the Macedon Ranges region and agree their riesling is superb. I tried talking a friend of mine in Sydney to distribute it. Sadly no one at present appears to represent the winery in NSW. It has an additional depth of flavour when young that many of the Clare Valley rieslings appear to lack in their youth. No sure it is designed for the long haul but who cares with its this good young.
Rossco wrote:In no particular order. Some of the greatest rieslings (that havent been mentioned yet) i have had.
The Story - Henty Vinteloper - Odeon Jacobs Creek - Steingarten Jim Barry - The florita Clos Clare Crawford River Moores Hill Heemskerk (when Anna was at the helm) Granite Hills
It is
I have been up to the Granite Hills vineyard a couple of times now when I have been staying locally in the Macedon Ranges region and agree their riesling is superb. I tried talking a friend of mine in Sydney to distribute it. Sadly no one at present appears to represent the winery in NSW. It has an additional depth of flavour when young that many of the Clare Valley rieslings appear to lack in their youth. No sure it is designed for the long haul but who cares with its this good young.
MArk
It is designed for the very long haul. No Clare Valley added acid here....
I have been up to the Granite Hills vineyard a couple of times now when I have been staying locally in the Macedon Ranges region and agree their riesling is superb. I tried talking a friend of mine in Sydney to distribute it. Sadly no one at present appears to represent the winery in NSW. It has an additional depth of flavour when young that many of the Clare Valley rieslings appear to lack in their youth. No sure it is designed for the long haul but who cares with its this good young.
MArk
It is designed for the very long haul. No Clare Valley added acid here....
No argument here. Sadly I couldn't keep my hands off the case we picked up it was so damn drinkable. If I lived in deepest darkest Melbourne I would spend a weekend every month up in this region visiting different vineyards.
I've not had any of this wine for a few years but am surprised it hasn't been mentioned, at least as far as a quick scan of the thread has revealed. It's in the price range of Grosset Polish Hill and Campbell Mattinson has rated the 2014 97pts! Of course, given the pervading attitude that Halliday rates wines too highly, he may have assessed it at 98pts. Needless to say, there are many Rieslings mentioned here that I've never tried, of any vintage though did enjoy a Grosset Watervale and a couple of Wilson Polish Hill some years ago.
Anyone care to guess what is CM's 97pts premium Australian riesling?
Mark, less than an hour by train from Melbourne. You can buy a good sized piece of land there for a modest sum and commute to the city of culture. Granite Hills riesling, Curley Flat chardonnay, Bindi pinot, etc. Noyce!
Last edited by swirler on Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek 1997- Aged for 15 years in oak and the first dry riesling to achieve 100pts from Parker ( 1995 vintage ). This is a truly amazing experience as the wines have been made here for 2000 years and this estate goes back to the medieval period.
Over a few bottles of 97, it's definitely a riesling needing aeration with a decanter. Timeless florals, mysterious herbs and apricots on a slightly reticent nose. Amazing length and palate purity, even in its full bodied style which shows firm minerality amongst stone fruits and citrus bloom. Incredible evolution still unfolding by the time the wine is finished. Unique; near Biblical in the way this wine echoes the civilizations past with a haunting mortality. You can leave this wine open for a year and it will be fine evidently !
About $140AUD per bottle.
98pts+
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
JamieBahrain wrote:Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek 1997- Aged for 15 years in oak and the first dry riesling to achieve 100pts from Parker ( 1995 vintage ). This is a truly amazing experience as the wines have been made here for 2000 years and this estate goes back to the medieval period.
Over a few bottles of 97, it's definitely a riesling needing aeration with a decanter. Timeless florals, mysterious herbs and apricots on a slightly reticent nose. Amazing length and palate purity, even in its full bodied style which shows firm minerality amongst stone fruits and citrus bloom. Incredible evolution still unfolding by the time the wine is finished. Unique; near Biblical in the way this wine echoes the civilizations past with a haunting mortality. You can leave this wine open for a year and it will be fine evidently !
About $140AUD per bottle.
98pts+
I had a glass of this at the Return to Terroir tasting event in Melbourne earlier this year (what an amazing tasting event that was!). I usually struggle with white wines, but this one blew my mind. Epic and then some. Your TN is exactly how I remember it.
Over a few evenings shared many bottles ( including magnums ) of Rudi Pichler's stunning rieslings. They are such an amazing reflection of terroir, it can be hard to pick the varietal between Riesling and Grüner Veltliner.
Masterclass and then a few dinners with magnums.
Sunrise over the Danube from the hills behind Wosendorf. Kollmutz is the vineyard.
"Barolo is Barolo, you can't describe it, just as you can't describe Picasso"
JamieBahrain wrote:Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek 1997- Aged for 15 years in oak and the first dry riesling to achieve 100pts from Parker ( 1995 vintage ). This is a truly amazing experience as the wines have been made here for 2000 years and this estate goes back to the medieval period.
Over a few bottles of 97, it's definitely a riesling needing aeration with a decanter. Timeless florals, mysterious herbs and apricots on a slightly reticent nose. Amazing length and palate purity, even in its full bodied style which shows firm minerality amongst stone fruits and citrus bloom. Incredible evolution still unfolding by the time the wine is finished. Unique; near Biblical in the way this wine echoes the civilizations past with a haunting mortality. You can leave this wine open for a year and it will be fine evidently !
About $140AUD per bottle.
98pts+
I had a glass of this at the Return to Terroir tasting event in Melbourne earlier this year (what an amazing tasting event that was!). I usually struggle with white wines, but this one blew my mind. Epic and then some. Your TN is exactly how I remember it.
I need to try more aged Rieslings.
Sounds incredible, a wine which I had not heard of before now, thanks for the background Jamie.
Does anyone know if it possible to find a bottle in Australia?
daz wrote:I've not had any of this wine for a few years but am surprised it hasn't been mentioned, at least as far as a quick scan of the thread has revealed. It's in the price range of Grosset Polish Hill and Campbell Mattinson has rated the 2014 97pts! Of course, given the pervading attitude that Halliday rates wines too highly, he may have assessed it at 98pts. Needless to say, there are many Rieslings mentioned here that I've never tried, of any vintage though did enjoy a Grosset Watervale and a couple of Wilson Polish Hill some years ago.
Anyone care to guess what is CM's 97pts premium Australian riesling?
