Australia's best riesling

[Waiters Friend]

.... by general acknowledgement seems to be Grosset Polish Hill. But it has reached a price point I am no longer prepared to pay........so I am looking for the 'next best'.

For example, I really like Mr Grosset's partner's (Stephanie Toole) riesling (Mount Horrocks) at $25. There are other Clare producers like Skillogalee, Crabtree and Paulett's whose wines fire me up.

Other regions like Eden Valley (Pewsey Vale, Steingarten) are similarly priced.

For me, the Great Southern in WA fires me up more. Capel Vale's Whispering Hill is a modern classic (and has been for 20 years), while Plantagenet, Howard Park, and Forest Hill all over deliver.

But what I am interested to know is are there other regions / subregions that have the potential to fly the riesling flag?

Let me know.

Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

Not sure about other regions but I'd add:

Petaluma's Hanlin Hill (Clare)
The Leo Burings, including the Leonay (Clare & Watervale)
Mitchelton's Blackwood Park (Goulbourne)
Pewsey Vale (Eden)

Mahmoud.

[Jay60A]

Henty - Seppelt Drumborg
Henty - Crawford River (and Reserve)
Eden Valley - Kerta Yerta
Barossa (or Eden?) - Peter Lehmann Wigan
O'Leary Walker Polish Hill is bl**dy good and great value.

[ticklenow1]

The first Riesling that made me sit up and take notice of the varietal was "Mesh Riesling". It is made by Geoffery Grosset and Robert Hill-Smith and the grapes are grown in the Eden Valley. I have bought several vintages and it is always very, very good. It also ages quite well.

The thing that I have found with Riesling over the years, is that you don't have to spend silly money to get a quality wine. Compared to Chardonnay, the value is amazing. For sub $20 you can get a bottle that will age extremely well and still drinks OK when young.

About 3 years ago I had a 1994 Petaluma Riesling and it was simply stunning. There are not too many (if any) Australian Whites (except of course for the very top Rieslings) that will live for that long and still be soooo good. Whilst I still prefer a good aged Chardy, aged Riesling is also a wonderful drink that comes in a lot easier on the wallet.

Ian

[sjw_11]

I would second all of the above, personal picks would be Seppelt Drumborg, Orlando Steingarten, Peter Lehman Wigan, Mt Horrocks, Leo Burings, Petaluma etc

I would add that I have recently been suprised and impressed by some older Coonawarra rieslings, e.g. 1991 and 1992 Bowen Estate and some 5-6 yr old Wynns.

[Sean]

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[Luke W]

I'll suggest something silly here Alan but it's worked for me in the past as I love riesling with a few years of maturity. Buy yourself a dozen McWilliams Inheritance Riesling for about $4 a bottle and put them away for about 2 years and then start trying them. Its hard to believe but often they will come up trumps and be just as good as many of the >$20 wines.....

[ross67]

Love Ashton Hills from the Adelaide Hills region. Bought some 05 recently and it is wonderful.

Also Delatite from Goulburn. Their VS Limited Edition Reisling is long lived and outstanding. Have some 99 's and they are just still so young and fresh.....amazing.

ross

[Matt]

Cherubino's "The Yard' Reisling over delivers at $20. His $30 option is also fantastic.

[Thommo]

Tassie rieslings are often overlooked... but in the off-dry, sweet and/or more generally European end of the spectrum, I think the extra acidity that the Taswegians can have often holds them up above their continental brethren. Frogmore Creek, Pooley, Bream Creek and Stefano Lubiana are all well worth a look. Australia's best riesling? I dunno, that is a matter of taste, but they are all bloody delicious!

[via collins]

Right on Thommo!

Still down in Tassie, Derwent Estate is fabulous each year.

And a bit of a peek in my cellar list reveals lots of love for:

Pewsey Vale
Mesh
Steingarten
Wigan
Drumborg Estate

also, Lethbridge Estate's 2009 edition one of my all-time favourites.

And yes, price for value, there's nothing like a fine Australian riesling

[Rossco]

couldnt agree more Thommo,

I was in taswegia over Easter. Found an amazing producer called Moores Hill in the Tamar Valley. Between $20 - $25 simply amazing wine.

[orpheus]

+1 for the Crawford River, the Steingarten, and the Seppelt Drumborg.

[Sean]

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[Thommo]

Frogmore Creek FGR will be my next sweet riesling buy... once I have repaired the motorbike, fixed the massive hole in the bathroom wall, paid for the ski trip, etc etc.

[BlaCkAdDa]

I always go back to Pikes and Paulett's for Riesling. (including the yummy late harvest)
Bought some ok stuff from Domain Day in the last couple of years too.

[cuttlefish]

The Peter Lehmann "Wigan" riesling's that I've drunk have been quite stunning wines, particularly considering the power they carry at the age they're released. I don't really know anything about where the fruit is sourced, but it's seriously good stuff. Steingarten seems variable, whereas the Seppelt Drumborg appears to be far more consistently high quality year to year (certainly in more recent vintages). I personally like the Knappstein Ackland Vineyard Riesling. That one is both graceful, and carries a bit of power. It's single-vineyard, which I suspect the Wigan may be as well.
There's another producer from Upper Goulburn Valley in Victoria called Barwite that I reckon has something special about it. I've been drinking their 2004 release recently, and it's a real belter. These guys are a dark-horse.
From the west, one that caught my tastebuds was the reserve wine from Frankland Estate called their "SC" (Smith Cullam). That is an impressive Riesling, when made.

[Sean]

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[Dave Dewhurst]

I'd agree with pretty much most of the above. It would be hard to beat a 2002 Petlauma Riesling I had recently, as close to perfection as one can get!

One producer that hasn't been mentioned yet is Bellarmine in Pemberton. Some serious quality here across three different sytles, dry. off dry and Auslese. All sub $20. Museum releases also attest to their aging potential.

Cheers

Dave

[griff]

Collectively you have picked just about every name that I could have mentioned. Ashbrook in Margaret River is worth a shout as well.

cheers

Carl

[Waiters Friend]

Collectively you have picked just about every name that I could have mentioned. Ashbrook in Margaret River is worth a shout as well.

cheers

Carl

Good Lord. How did I forget Ashbrook? The only decent riesling producer in Margaret River, but what fruit purity! And yes, I buy them each year.

Thanks everyone, the roll call is comprehensive, and includes a couple I hadn't considered. It still seems that, apart from the Great Southern and some Victorian ventures, the best riesling is South Australian. Which will lead me on to the next post.........

[phillisc]

Agreed with most posts here. Howard Park and Heggies are a couple of faves. Craig.

[griff]

Just thought of another maker and region in the mix. Helm. Canberra.

cheers

Carl

[Mark Carrington]

The best Oz Riesling I've drunk during the last year was Seppelt Drumborg '09, closely followed by a Leo Buring Leonay (not sure which designation but circa '05) - but neither available in UK. P Lermann's Wigan (now shipped) 'discovered' last year - '04 top notch.
Perennial faves: Steingarten, mesh, Contours, Florita, Kanta (not forgetting MH Cordon Cut- but now rather pricy). Regular buys also include Petaluma & O'Leary Walker but quality variable.
Top of the pile remains Polish Hill (Springvale is no slouch) & fortunately. whilst prices have edged up, it remains outstanding value for money.
The only Ashbrook I've tried is '05 which was terrific - managed to obtain several bottles, but all long gone.

[Cloth Ears]

Lot of my favourites have been mentioned here before. As has that most of the best Riesling grapes are sourced from Clare or Eden Valleys. The exception that I found (sort of by accident) is from the 'Limestone Coast'. Specifically, I once went down to visit the parents of a workmate of mine. They had a 4 acre vineyard about 15kms from Portland - I'm not sure what area this belongs to, but it could be Henty. Their Riesling and especially the Traminer Riesling had this 'minerally' quality that was simply sublime in offsetting the sweet and slightly sour quality of the youngs wines. As they got older, they devolved into simply stunning wines.

It seems that Rod Barrett no longer makes his own wine, as I discovered when I found Lethbridge Wines Dr Nadeson. This is made from grapes from Rod's vineyard which I found when I was chatting to the winemaker. I've got some of this and expect it to improve over the next 5-15 years. Tends to sell out from the winery fairly quickly.

[cuttlefish]

At the Lethbridge cellar door a couple of years ago, the riesling really stood out to me. I love the style of it. I had no idea that it might have been off a Henty vineyard. Gee there seem to be some fantastic wines out of that area. I've had decent Pinot noir, excellent cabernet, and very good Riesling. Some good chardonnays come out of there, too.

[daz]

Forest Hill Vineyard Block 1

[raymond]

I see someone rated the Frogmore FGR riesling .

I tried a glass or two of the 2010 with oysters and quail at a french resturant last night (allure on currumbin) . Probably the best riesling I've in the last few years.
sweet , with enough citrus and acidity to make it very well balanced. great with the natural oysters (also from tassie!!)

Bliss

[daz]

I'm presently drinking the fourth of nine bottles of Bests Great Western Riesling 2011 bought over the last several months. I suppose it could be categorised as off-dry/sweet so it's definitely not in the mainstream Australian style. But it is very definitely a varietal riesling with intense fruit character and a lengthy citrus finish supported by soft, drying acid. Not Australia's best riesling (that's still Forest Hill Block 1 for me) but recommended for it's difference from those usually considered to be contenders.

[bob parsons]

Some of these wines mentioned are in the cellar here but anyone have an opinion on Paracombe please?