Grand Cru (Perth) Tasting Group – January 2022 – Riesling

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

Riesling is considered by many people to be the most noble of grapes, and the purest expression of winemaking.
It is made in many parts of the world, and mostly does not see oak (unless its old oak foudres which do not impart flavour). There's a couple of people experimenting with small amounts of newer oak, but mostly it’s just fermented, filtered and bottled. Simple, eh?

It also ages superbly, perhaps more than any other white wine. It may or may not undergo a kerosene phase (Diesling?) and a 'dumb' or adolescent phase on the way through. Some people like this phase, others do not.

For this tasting, the only stipulation was that the wine must be 100% Riesling. Any vintage, any place of origin. We also tasted sparkling before dry before off-dry / sweet.

And the wines were:

Sparkling:

Raumland 2008 (Germany): This sparkling wine was a great start to this tasting – yellow with a decent bead. The age of the wine was noticeable in a nose which showed strong yeast autolysis, alongside lots of green apples. The palate is quite tangy, Granny Smith apples, some toast, lemon pith and blood orange. Acid is very high but offset by a richness of flavour. For more technical detail, this wine spent 10 years on lees. 61% was fermented in steel, 39% barrel fermented, T/A is 10.5 g/L and the dosage was 4.4 g/L.
Highly regarded by the group.

Dry:

Frankland Estate Riesling 2021 (Frankland River, W.A.): This is their “Estate” range and not one of the excellent single vineyard wines. Straw colour. The nose shows lime, lots of florals (lemon and orange blossom), talc, spice, white pepper and herbs. The palate picked up more of these with musk and orange peel added. Good acid. This didn’t taste typically Riesling for some tasters, and a couple considered there might be some residual sugar.

Ashbrook Estate Riesling 2021 (Margaret River, W.A.): Straw colour. Fruit purity seems to be the hallmark of many Ashbrook whites, and this is no exception. The nose is pure lemon / lime with some mandarin. The lemon / lime carries through the palate with more of that mandarin. It’s fresh and lively, clean, pristine fruit flavours and well balanced acidity. Well regarded by the group. Personally, I’ve long held the opinion that this is the best Riesling to come from Margaret River (a small field, admittedly).

Talisman Riesling 2018 (Ferguson Valley, W.A.): Straw colour. This is starting to show signs of development The nose is toasty, with muted fruit, and some graphite or charcoal. The palate is also muted and restrained, with spring water and correspondingly softer acid. A couple of tasters considered this elegant, and some considered that this wine was entering a ‘dumb’ phase or adolescence. Certainly, earlier vintages of this wine I have tasted over the last 3-4 year show more intensity, and I expect this vintage will be likewise in 2 or more years.

Marcel Deiss Riesling 2016 (Alsace, France): Yellow / gold in colour. Nose is toasty, a little kero, some beeswax, tinned peaches and honeyed. Most of these characters flow through the palate, which has a touch of sherry. It seems quite developed now, but those who know these wines better reckon this will go for a long time.

Rockford Riesling 2012 (Eden Valley, S.A.): Full yellow in colour. There’s a touch of kero amongst the lemon and orange. There’s also musk or bubble gum on the nose, with caramel and honeycomb. Acid appears modest, as does the citrus fruit intensity (lemon, lime and orange). There’s also Jersey caramel and the wine is a little tangy. Short finish and general opinion is that it is on the decline.

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Gilberts Riesling 2011 (Great Southern, W.A.): Pale yellow, and clear and bright in the glass. This seemed at odds with the nose, which is toasty, has preserved lemon (but not intense), slight kero and a touch of chlorine. The palate shows moderate acid, lime fruit, more preserved lemon and a bit chalky. Overall, a bit flabby and on the decline. A surprise for me, as I have had excellent aged examples of this wine.

Whicher Ridge Riesling 2011 (Frankland River, W.A.): Very pale yellow, and a surprise for an 11 year old wine. Complex nose, with lots of lime, lemon, orange peel and mandarin. There’s a touch of kero and some peach and stone fruit. There’s orange rind on the palate, along with lime cordial. Excellent acid, and the age of the wine shows in the touch of viscosity. Well balanced, with good length and palate weight.

Houghton Wisdom Riesling 2009 (Frankland Rive, W.A.): Like the Gilberts, pale yellow, and clear and bright in the glass. Intense lime and lemon on the nose, with some green apple, toast and lanolin. There’s lemon and lime cordial on the palate, with a touch of orange and good supporting acid. Even at 13 years old, this is still developing. Well regarded by the group.

Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2006 (Clare Valley, S.A.): Pale yellow in colour. Preserved lemon on the nose, with lots of citrus and hay. The palate shows tangy citrus, a little honey, and there’s a freshness brought about by the fruit sweetness and supporting acid. Balanced, and well regarded by the group.

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Richard Grove Riesling 1999 (Barossa Valley, S.A.): Burnt orange in colour. Nose is toasty, with kero, toffee and nougat. No discernible fruit. The palate is sherry and caramel, and the wine is clearly over the hill.

Howard Park Riesling 1992 (Great Southern, W.A.): Deep yellow in colour – not surprising for a 30 year old wine. Lemon and lime cordial on the nose, with ginger and glace` pineapple. The palate has tangy developed citrus fruit, and lemon barley cordial. This is fully developed, but very clean, and a pleasure to experience.

Off-dry / Sweet:

Bellarmine ‘Select’ Riesling 2016 (Pemberton, W.A.) 7.5% alcohol: Full yellow in colour. Luscious but gentle citrus fruits on the nose. The palate is moderately sweet, with citrus, stone fruit and peach but without being tart. A little burnt sugar on the finish, but finishes clean. There’s good balance between acid and fruit sweetness, and one taster described this as ‘voluptuous’.

Markus Molitor Urzinger Wurzgarten Kabinett Riesling 2015 (Mosel, Germany) 8% alcohol: Straw colour. Complex nose with citrus fruit, a little smoke, stone fruit and peach. A powerful palate showing poached apple with cinnamon. The wine is very balanced, acid and sugar well integrated. The wine is restrained and austere and finishes very clean. Well regarded by the group.

It was fascinating to see Riesling in its many guises, and with considerable age (the average age of wine in this tasting was 12 years). Wine of the night was the only sparkling wine in the tasting: Raumland 2008. An excellent tasting, and thanks to all involved.

Cheers
Allan

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[Michael McNally]

Great write up, thanks Allan! Amazing that the 92 was still alive.

Cheers

Michael