Australian dry Riesling: panel tasting results

<p>Isolation Ridge is rightfully Western Australia&rsquo;s most famous Riesling, consistently the finest of Frankland Estate&rsquo;s single-vineyard Riesling trilogy. The secret is the gravelly ironstone soils of this site, referred to locally as &lsquo;coffee rock&rsquo;, infusing the wine with an ironstone-like flintiness. Two generations of the Cullam family have been making wine in Frankland River since 1988, a long history for this part of the world. The family knows Riesling backwards, and has taken a leading role in Riesling education in Australia, hosting its biannual International Riesling Tasting around the country.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Sarah Ahmed </strong></em><br /> Kerosene and salted limes on the nose and palate; very aromatic. Bone-dry, firm and mineral with dogged acidity, which carries a long, well-focused pithy grapefruit, salted lime and mineral finish. Just starting to show a lick of honey.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Justin Knock MW </strong></em><br /> Bang on! Citrus intensity on the nose, developing notes of baked lemons and a hint of lemon curd, and then a most vital palate with beautiful, bright laser-like acidity. Really fresh and long.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Anthony Rose </strong></em><br /> Intense, smoky and lime-like aromatics, refreshing spritz on the tongue and focused, mouthwatering tropical and citrus fruits supported by medium-bodied alcohol, finishing with an appetisingly dry tang.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Wigan is the pinnacle of the Peter Lehmann Riesling odyssey, built for release at around five years of age, and consistently among the Eden Valley&rsquo;s &ndash; and Australia&rsquo;s &ndash; finest Rieslings (the 2006 vintage won a Regional Trophy at the 2012 DWWA). It is typically a single-vineyard wine from the highest reaches of the region, selected post-fermentation as the finest and most ageworthy tank of Lehmann&rsquo;s extensive resources. Fanatical attention to detail in the winery and a philosophy of minimising phenolics ensure a long-ageing style that articulately captures the crystalline purity of its site.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Sarah Ahmed</strong></em><br /> Smoky, kerosene nose with broad yet tight lemon fruit. Quite muscular palate of real quality, pushing out a long finish with lemon butter and lifted kaffir lime influences. Complex and very long, with lots yet to give.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Justin Knock MW </strong></em><br /> Really bright and young, showing paraffin wax and limes. Very good.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Anthony Rose </strong></em><br /> Super-intense, fresh toast and lime aromatics in the classic Eden Riesling style. Friendly flavours of brown lime and a juicy, refreshingly dry aftertaste that&rsquo;s flecked with honey.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Hill-Smith family&rsquo;s Pewsey Vale vineyard is an extensive and iconic Eden Valley Riesling site. Its finest fruits, from the oldest vines on its coolest slope, are reserved for late release as The Contours. Chief winemaker Louisa Rose has worked at Yalumba since 1992 and has a soft spot for this site and its wines, taking personal responsibility for their production. She plays with both wild and cultured yeasts, but stresses that this wine is really all about the vineyard, where her recent initiatives focus on biodynamics, revegetation for biodiversity and installation of insectariums.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Sarah Ahmed </strong></em><br /> Lemon curd, lime cordial, lime-shred marmalade, minerality, and a good underlying acidity/saltiness on the palate. Tight, toasty finish with still a lot to give. A very lime marmalade finish.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Justin Knock MW </strong></em><br /> Yum! Creamy, warm and complex with lemon zest lift. Rich and luscious in an atypical Eden Valley style.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><em>Anthony Rose </em></strong><br /> Classic and rich, with toast, lemon curd and intense Riesling-scented fruit. There&rsquo;s lovely ripe farm butter and peach on the palate, infused with that enticingly evolved toastiness and light touch of honey that makes bottle-aged Riesling so engaging.</p>

<p>Brothers Neil and Andrew Pike celebrated their 30th vintage at Pikes in the Polish Hill River district of the Clare Valley in 2014. The Merle is their top Riesling, the expression of slate soils tapped by mature vines from two blocks in the family vineyard. The brothers&rsquo; attention to detail begins in the vines, with an eco-friendly approach that comes close to organic, including mulching and mid-row cover cropping. Minimalist, modern, temperaturecontrolled winemaking preserves delicacy and vineyard definition.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Sarah Ahmed </strong></em><br /> Lifted lychee nose, sweet heady musk characters, a saline note and a firm, tight, mineral palate.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Justin Knock MW </strong></em><br /> Pristine and extremely aromatic &ndash; almost soaring out of the glass. Really classy and fine palate, showing balanced, long flavours of lemon and lime, and a softness to the acidity.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Anthony Rose </strong></em><br /> Lovely, spring-blossom aromatics. Taut and crisp mid-palate fruit that is concentrated and still elemental, but already showing promising citrus fruit quality with a mineral, stony, dry finish. Lots of potential.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Attractively fresh nose of talcum powder, musk and lime. The palate is riper in style, with custard and tropical fruits dominating the citrus. Good intensity for a young Clare Riesling and finishes with lovely balance.

<p>Ripe lemon, thyme, myrtle and honey nose. Amazing texture and a lemony brightness to the core. A fine-boned, summery wine with a dry, balanced finish.</p>

<p>Youthful aromas of lemon and lime and an earthy palate of tart apple, apple blossom and honey &ndash; it has a lovely wildness. A lip-smacking, punchy wine with a racy, mineral finish.</p>

Aromatic lift of lemongrass and lime. A light spritz on the palate, which has beautiful precision, power and lovely length. Finishes with chalky minerality and apple blossom.

Lovely Riesling nose full of toasty-flecked lime with honey at the margins. Some more toastiness on the palate, which is driven by volcanic minerality. Thirst-quenchingly delicious with a firm, dry finish.

Aromatic lime blossom and kerosene nose. Ripe apple flavours over slatey minerals on the palate – fabulous energy and focus with great fruit intensity and length on the finish. Quite forward and rich for 2013.

Very fresh and attractively scented, showing bright, lively lemon and lime fruit in classic style. Dry focused, pure and perfumed with a smoky mineral note and a seamlessly juicy finish.

<p>Apple and lime blossom nose. Lovely lime leaf and grapefruit intensity on the palate with flint notes &ndash; so pure and long! It tapers to a cleansing, mouthwateringly dry finish with very good length.</p>

A riper style with more weight. Exotic mandarin palate with hints of lemon myrtle. No frills, and yet a lovely pure and seamless balance to the wine. This is a muscular, powerful Riesling.

<p>Very much in the classic Australian style: all toast, limes and lemon curd. A refreshing prickle on the tongue followed by a crisp, dry and tangy, lime-like fruitiness that resonates nicely across the palate finishing with honeyed edges.</p>

<p>Kaffir lime nose and palate with a fresh spritz. Hints of dairy, creamy lemon pie and apple puree followed by salty minerality and a cleansing apple bite. Very long, firm and expressive.</p>

Lifted honey, apple and lime-blossom nose showing fresh piquancy. A well-judged, bone-dry palate of grapefruit and lime juice with decent length and fine acidity. Ripe and charming.

Exotic kaffir lime on nose and palate with a light prickle on the tongue. Fine-boned structure that will make this ageworthy. Pleasantly juicy on the mid-palate with a dry citrus finish. Lovely.

<p>Very perfumed nose of chalk, lime and musk. Bright and juicy fruit-driven palate showing notes of apple and peach and finishing with a good, juicy character that&rsquo;s immediately appealing.</p>

Intense nose of lime leaf, grapefruit and tropical fruits. Concentrated, rich, exotic fruit palate, which is long, finely textured and superbly full-flavoured. Needs some time for the flavours to blossom.

Ripe Sicilian lemons are wed to lemon myrtle and punchy, lively acidity. Pleasantly fruity palate: soft, creamy and juicy yet dry with a salty finish. Quite a powerful wine leaving a distinct quinine note.

Fine, fresh-scented Riesling that is lightly smoky and exotic. Fine-textured, ripe yet restrained; seamlessly balanced fruit with complex, citrussy undertones and a mineral, almost saline finish. Just beautiful.

Kerosene edge to the spicy kaffir lime nose. Aromatic palate in a citrus mould: bright lemon curd and a slightly austere bite that brings great freshness. No shortage of character with touch of lime oil texture.

Pungent, fresh aromatics of intense lime cordial that turns to fresh zestiness on the palate, tapering to a full-flavoured and beautifully balanced, fruit-filled wine with a fine, steely, dry finish.

<p>Fresh and bright aromatics of ripe lemon, kaffir lime and green apple fruit. Ripe, glossy-textured, medium-bodied fruit palate where ripe apple is balanced by a floral finish.</p>

<p>Lime blossom nose, following through on the palate together with steely minerals, very pure grapefruit and lime juice. Full-flavoured and intense before tapering nicely into mouthwatering dryness.</p>

A shimmeringly pure citrus and sandstone mineral nose and palate. Salivating acidity that is almost crystalline with lemon-ginger richness. Has a delicately spicy, dry finish with great persistence and energy.

Elderflower and sugar-dusted green apple nose; very delicate and pristine aromatics. Light and crisp on the palate with a compensating off-dry sweetness – almost a German kabinett style. Very well-made.

Distinctive aromas of orange zest, elderflower and lemon sherbet. Austere lemony palate with a talcum powder and floral lift allied to powerful acidity. Lingering finish. A good wine.

<p>Talcum powder and Sicilian lemon nose. Ripe and soft papaya flavours with plenty of nuance and length. Finishes with a lively Cox&rsquo;s apple bite and great intensity; lots yet to give.</p>

Intense mandarin skin notes with lime blossom and kerosene hints. Tight acid core gives lovely energy to the attractive, off-dry medium body. A dry finish with the potential to develop.

Fresh and aromatic with talcum powder, lemons and limes. An underlying note of citrussy sweetness on the palate gives the wine real generosity and length. A friendly style from Eden with a floral finish.

A minerally grapefruit sorbet nose with fresh lemon and lime fruits on the palate. A delicate yet intense wine which is very young now but with the balance to age very well.

Citrus, yellow peach and ripe mango characters. Attractive prickle on the tongue, with underlying citrussy freshness and glossy-textured fruit that finishes dry and approachable.