Australian Riesling: panel tasting results

Justin Knock MW, Roger Jones and Julia Sewell tasted 52 wines, with 10 Outstanding and 39 Highly Recommended.

Australian Riesling panel tasting scores

52 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 10

Highly recommended 39

Recommended 3

Commended 0

Fair 0

Poor 0

Faulty 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their dry, 100% Riesling latest-release vintages from Eden Valley or Clare Valley GIs and their sub-regions

In more than 15 years of tasting Australian wines for Decanter, I’ve never seen a line-up of such consistently high quality as this. Of 52 wines, 49 scored 90 points or above, and 10 of these were a golden 95pts or more. Roger Jones, also a veteran taster of Australian wines for Decanter, agreed:

‘Without doubt one of the best panel tastings, highlighting the value and quality of Aussie Riesling.’ ‘The quality exceeded my expectations,’ added Julia Sewell. ‘The wines were not just without fault, but with universal drinkability, complexity and finesse.’

Scroll down for tasting notes & scores for the top-scoring Australian Rieslings

The much-touted 2021 vintage drove this success (35 wines), but gratifyingly we also found gilded beauty from 2019 (three), 2018 (five) and 2015 (two). The 2020s (six), from a more challenging year, showed signs of both explosive power and shutting down. Yet, overall, we can safely say that buying Clare or Eden Rieslings from any of the past four vintages will bring pleasure and superb value.

Successful production techniques are well known: gentle must-handling for low phenolic extraction; cool fermentation in neutral/steel vessels in the absence of oxygen; careful viticulture that shields berries from sunburn – and the unwanted ‘kerosene’ aromas of TDN (or 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene). Sewell approved that these ‘once-classic notes seemed almost entirely absent’ in our line-up.

Yet new trends are emerging. A surprising number of wines retained a whisper of natural sweetness, while a rare few are experimenting with large oak casks and extended lees ageing. These are positive developments, showing that producers know both what works but also what interests the wider world. They neither abandon consumers to the confines of tradition, nor do they leave them behind as they push in new directions. Perhaps the largest stylistic difference between producers is grape maturity at harvest, as alcohol levels can range from 11% or lower to 13%.

See all wines from the Australian Riesling panel tasting

‘It’s a fallacy that these wines are onedimensional,’ emphasised Jones. ‘Yes, there is the lip-smacking freshness, like a dip in a winter’s river, but there is also exoticism with apple, rhubarb, orange blossom and jasmine notes all complementing the dominant flavours of citrus. These pristine, pure Rieslings have their own style that more people need to discover.’

The Clare Valley is the larger region, planted with about 1,050ha of Riesling of a total approaching 5,100ha (Wine Australia, 2020-21). It is also warmer, drier and, at 350m-550m, less elevated than the Eden Valley at 500m-700m.

Sewell found the Clare wines riper overall, with the Eden examples showcasing ‘focus and linearity’. Jones loved the drinkability of the former and praised the ageability of the latter, particularly the ‘hedonistic’ 2015s. Both are highly continental regions, with diurnal temperature swings of 13°-15°C during the growing season – typically far greater than the Austria’s Wachau (8°-10°C), France’s Alsace (10°-12°C) or Germany’s Mosel (7°-10°C). This unique combination allows both beautiful phenolic ripening of Riesling’s thickish skins and that hallmark vibrant acidity.

There is something metronomically excellent about the Rieslings of the Clare and Eden Valleys. They are classically delicate, pale wines drenched with succulent acidity and arrow-straight palate length. I’m a sucker for their aromas of lime marmalade on freshly buttered toast and the perfect combination of lime juice and lemon peel flavours.

A chilled bottle of any one of the following wines and a kilo of fresh prawns on a warm, sunny day is my idea of perfection.

Top scoring Australian Rieslings

The following wines are listed in score order and all scored 92 points or above

The judges

Justin Knock MW is director of wine for luxury wine merchant OenoGroup, overseeing their buying, marketing, trade and retail activities, and he is one of two DWWA joint Regional Chairs for Australia.

Roger Jones is the retired former owner of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn restaurant in Wiltshire. Now busy as a wine writer, judge and consultant with a particular focus on the hospitality trade, as well as helping charities, he is a DWWA judge for Australia.

Julia Sewell is a wine consultant and educator offering services via juliasewellwine.com. A DWWA judge, she began her career in restaurants in Melbourne, Australia before moving to the UK and working at The Fat Duck in Bray, Hide Restaurant Mayfair and Davy’s Wine Merchants.

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