O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2024
Knappstein Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
G 95
G 95
A Cabernet still in its prime with that vegetal accent and pronounced black fruit characters. Then it’s time for black olive tapenade, delicious mint chocolate and new leather. The acidity is flooding, only partially contained by exuberant-good- looking tannins, pushing the fruit like a drifting boat. Plenty of potential and time ahead. Drink now–2042 Knappstein Ackland Vineyard Riesling 2024 G 95 A timid nose, like a gentle spring whiff redolent of buds bursting, fresh-cut grass, citrus notes, and Granny Smith apples. The acidity and juiciness of the fruit reverberate like water reflecting sunlight back to the rock. Incredible minerality, purity, and length at the core. Drink 2025–2040 Mitchell McNicol Clare Valley Riesling 2015 G 95 Well-aged Clare Valley Riesling, always a treat! Out of the cellar, this 2015 McNicol is ready to charm, right here, right now. Shows complexity from the first sniff with its heady aromas of jasmine, orange peel, lemon barley, buttered toast and honey. There’s an inherent warmth to the wine. It’s there in the natural textural flow, the almost opulent flavour intensity in honeyed toast, lemon curd and florals interlaid with a lemon/orange peel bright savoury spark to close. Acidity, the key to a long life, is holding firm throughout. I’d call this a comfort wine, which it is, but it is also so much more. Drink now–2030 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling 2024 G 95 Speaks of its place in classic lime and lemon citrus sherbet, bath salts and apple blossom florals. A most taut and precise palate delivering cut and bite in lime peel and grapefruit pith while maintaining a smooth presence of citrus throughout, with flashes of ginger and spice. There’s depth here, something to explore further with time in bottle. Lovely acid tang to close. Drink now–2041 O’Leary Walker Polish Hill River Riesling 2024 G 95 The opposite in personality to Watervale Riesling, Polish Hill is all about Riesling energy and exuberance. Organically grown, for those wondering, Polish Hill arrives all bright and perky, but underneath the citrussy exterior there is great concentration of fruit flavour. A drinker could get lost in the depths of that gorgeous middle palate, such is the appeal of spiced apple with grapefruit, lemon, lime and citrus zest. Polish Hill offers a mix of spice and citrus all rolled tightly into one super perky, fresh, young Riesling. Another ripper from this top Clare Valley sub-region. Drink now–2034
So fine, so silky, so effortless in delivery with aromatics that define what Watervale Riesling is all about. Watervale can be perceived as quiet. It is, in fact, beautifully subtle, detailed in style. Aromas of lime, lemongrass, kaffir lime with just a touch of ginger nicely define the sub-regional – and regional – style. The palate boasts a long line of flavour, super intense in lime, with herbals, fennel and ginger. Texturally, it’s supple. Acidity-wise, it is lemony bright and the mainstay of the wine, but don’t read into this that it is hard-edged. It’s not. Great length makes the flavour last. This is a fully formed young Riesling, ready to fly. Drink now–2032 Pauletts 109 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 G 95 Impressive on a number of fronts. Captures a super smooth, stylish Cabernet still very much in its youth but with time definitely on its side; a most convincing argument for why Cabernet is rightly considered one of the big three varietal ambassadors of the Clare Valley. Rests on a firm foundation of blackberry fruit, herbs and voluminous silky, fine tannins with detailed violet, wild berries, liquorice, clove, mint, briar and baked earth in the complex mix. A discreet peppery layer adds that extra X factor, especially on the length. Drink now–2040 Pauletts Polish Hill River Riesling 2017 G 95 Preserved lemon and apricot, beeswax, acacia honey, lanolin, and kerosene – yep, it’s an aged Riesling! The palate is toasty and textured, with the acidity still bouncing around like a toddler. A striking smoky aftertaste lingers. My head is spinning at the contemplation of intriguing food pairings. Drink now–2030 Pauletts 109 Reserve Riesling 2023 G 95 That distinctive jasmine, citrus, spice and white pepper scent, so Polish Hill River, so imposing. From a top year and immediately shows its class across a seamless palate: concentrated, beautifully structured, textured and long. Moves slowly, all the better to take in flavours that build, that explore a full spectrum of Riesling beauty in youth with an almost ridiculous depth of citrus – lemon curd, grapefruit, orange peel, lime zest – and spice and hints of fennel and ginger. Smooth as . . . that’s a wow! Drink now–2037 Pauletts ECKS Elodie Watervale Syrah 2023 G 95 So much spicy oomph to this wine which fully deserves its Syrah moniker. Some scintillating, cooler, spicier, red-fruited characters here coiled tightly around fast- moving acidity and savoury-edged tannins. It’s got energy to burn. Black cherry, bramble, cassis, peppercorn, sage, liquorice and a splash of regional mint dash across the palate, leaving a trail of spice in their wake. The winemaker had plenty of fun with this little beauty. Drink now–2033
178
The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
South Australia 2024
179
Powered by FlippingBook