Eldredge Blue Chip Riesling 2024
Pikes Traditionale Riesling 2024
G 90
G 90
A low-alcohol, high-acid approach to Riesling that brings with it some undeniably scintillating acid drive. It’s a tingly, bright dip into a style of Riesling where further ageing is not only warranted but encouraged. It’s a minimalist approach in green apple, fresh cut lemon and grapefruit delivered along a long line of bracing acidity. A mid-palate gentle and appealing texture brings an extra touch. Finishes with some definite lemon bite. Drink now–2033 Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz 2021 G 90 A meeting of black liquorice, dark cherry, plum, spice with a lick of pepper and it’s one lively gathering of scents and flavours. Well composed and pretty compact, it presents Clare Shiraz as a ripe, soft, approachable kind of wine but there’s plenty of life left to be enjoyed, should cellaring be on your mind. The middle palate brings some fine oak spice and an earthy thread that contributes another layer to explore. Ripe tannins assist. All up, some good drinking to be enjoyed. Drink now–2030 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz 2021 G 90 A sweet-fruited Clare Shiraz from a top vintage, and the drinking is very easy as the wine unwinds in spicy cola, red and black berries and liquorice. It’s bright and immediately accessible. Sports a ripe, fleshy presence on the palate, one enhanced by supple tannins and a quiet, agreeable savoury undercurrent. Good drinking right now. Drink now–2030 Kirrihill Regional Series Riesling 2024 G 90 Regional Series offers a well-priced introduction to Clare’s mainstay varieties. Here, Riesling shows its characteristic lemon and lime – juicy, bright and aromatic – together with some more grounded earthy herbals and ginger. Flows easily, thanks to a gentle texture, and the touch of residual sugar rounds out any edges, bringing a lively tang to the finish. Drink now–2028 Knappstein 1878 Transcendence Shiraz 2021 G 90 A good-quality oak vestige adorns the generous fruit profile. The perfumed floral component follows. The palate is dense. Droplets of liquorice and iodine alternate with punchy dark berries, gum leaves, and cracked pepper. The sweetness of the fruit and oak close the finale. Drink now–2033 Pauletts Rosé Sangiovese 2024 G 90 The nose opens with gentle aromas of white cherries, cranberries, and redcurrants. It has a lovely chalky texture and is overall pleasantly refreshing and balanced. It is an enjoyable Rosé with just enough fruit extraction. Drink now–2028
Plenty of open, vivacious charm on show here. Impressive in flavour and aromatics: green apple, wet rocks, lemon pith, lime sherbet with a fruit tingle brightness. A light sprinkle of spice is discreet, but it brings extra depth. Good acid cut and the overall result is one balanced and even-handed – and highly enjoyable – delicious young Riesling. Just enjoy. Drink now–2029 Pikes Eastside Shiraz 2022 G 90 Upfront and honest, Eastside is all about getting to the heart of Clare Shiraz in all of its soft, juicy plenitude of ripe fruit. It fairly bounces in black berries, black plum, earth, aniseed, a touch of mint, a splash of chocolate. Oak is a background vanillin note rounding everything nicely, but not shouting. The palate is supple, even and nicely underpinned with fresh, well-measured tannins. Jump right in. Drink now– 2028 Sussex Squire The Raging Bull Malbec 2021 G 90 Darkly fruited, spicy and tarry, The Raging Bull lives up to its name with its boldness and dominant presence in the glass – it’s not shy. It’s a typically heroic, big strapping Malbec in dark, inky magenta-red colours and aromas of wet earth, blueberry, plum, cassis and sandalwood oak. It turns luscious and fleshy to taste with a strong layer of savoury tannins before finishing warm. A hearty wine fit for a big rib eye. Drink now–2030 Sussex Squire The Prancing Pony Riesling 2024 G 90 An ode to Polish Hill River and chock full of all the herbal-edged, spiced and savoury delights that it can bring. Honeysuckle florals are subdued with fennel, earthy, preserved lemon, white pepper and citrus taking hold as the wine works its way across the palate, rolling out alongside a gentle, fleshy texture and lime-intense flavour base. Juicy acid crunch to close. Drink now–2030 Sussex Squire The Sly Fox Sangiovese 2022 G 90 A Sangiovese that shows the Clare Valley’s ability to provide ripe, generous fruit with a touch of earthy savouriness. It’s almost two wines in one with familiar black fruits, black cherry ripeness and thyme and marjoram herbals on the one hand, and an intriguing depth of earthiness with a light charcuterie note on the other. Finishes dry with sturdy cherry pip tannins. Drink now–2030
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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
South Australia 2024
195
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