Wine
Assessing The Best In Clare Valley Riesling - A Selector State Of Play
The Clare has long been amongst the cream of the Australian Riesling crop, boasting arguably the highest concentration of quality and specialists than any other domestic wine region.
So what is it about the Clare Valley that makes it Australia's Riesling megalopolis?
Riesling is important to Australia because it serves as an historical cornerstone of our viticultural past and has endured, relatively unchanged, to shape an important part of our overarching wine identity.
It was there before a commercial wine industry - albeit fortified -had a chance to form and grow. It was there when we started putting wine regularly on our tables despite the wax and wane of taste, and it continues to be the variety that best expresses character of place with purity and precision.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF CLARE VALLEY RIESLING
Introduced to Australia via the First Fleet and originally planted in Penrith, Riesling found its way all over Australia to became the most-planted white variety in the country, until Chardonnay took over after Kath and Kim told us how to pronounce it correctly.
A hundred and fifty years earlier, however, Riesling had established a home alongside the Silesian settlers that were cultivating the Barossa and surrounding valleys. These thirsty Prussians brought with them a love for wine and the knowledge that soon laid a foundation for the South Australian wine industry.
Not long after the Prussians started planting, Protestant British settlers made their way further northwest of the Barossa and established the town of Clare. John Horrocks planted at his Hope Farm in Penwortham, the Hawker brothers at Bungaree, and Clare founder Edmund Gleeson put sticks in the ground at Inchiquin.
The Jesuits began making sacramental wine at Sevenhill, while the Irish Catholics and Polish banded together to establish the villages of Armagh and Polish Hill River. Watervale, Springvale and the sub-region of Skillogalee followed suit. By the wine boom of the 1890s, the Clare was a well-established wine region.
THE HALLMARKS OF CLARE VALLEY RIESLING
With its ancient soils, undulating altitude, warm and dry disease-free days and cool nights - coupled with a multitude of unique nooks and crannies - the Clare and Riesling quickly became fast friends, consistently delivering crisp, pure and delicious aromatic wines with distinctive citrus, floral and soil characters.
These attributes soon started gaining attention and it was later discovered that these wines aged very well, slowly transforming, adding appeal with honeyed, toasty and creamy layers forming over bright citrus. Australian Riesling had begun to carve out a niche in export markets, especially in Britain, where it was prized for its elegance and balance compared to heavier European styles of the time. These Rieslings, and Clare's contribution, helped position Australia as a serious player in global viticulture, laying the groundwork for the industry humming around us today.
CLARE VALLEY RIESLING VERSUS EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Adam Eggins and Kerri Thompson at the tasting.
The Watervale Hotel's 'Hell-Hole' Tasting room.
Such is its adaptability, Riesling and its base characters thrive and shine across many great Australian regions: Eden Valley, Western Australia's Great Southern, Victoria's Great Western, and Tasmania and Coonawarra to name a few. However, Clare Valley's distinction is its minerality, delivered straight from its ancient gift of slate and limestone soils.
Compared to its Eden Valley cousins, Clare Rieslings are often more robust and structured, with a pronounced acidity that lends itself to extended ageing. By comparison, Eden Valley Rieslings, grown at higher altitudes, tend to exhibit a lighter, more ethereal character, with delicate floral notes and a softer palate.
In contrast, Clare Valley's warmer days and cool nights result in wines with greater concentration and intensity, as noted by critic Huon Hooke, who described Clare Rieslings as having 'a spine of steel wrapped in silk.'
An apt assessment. Kerri 'KT' Thompson, winemaker at Skillogalee and Wines By KT, a renowned Riesling specialist, agrees.
'Clare Riesling has a richness and fruit weight that is distinctive and sets it apart from other regions,' she explains. 'Our diurnal temperature fluctuation allows us to ripen with fruit weight and flavour, but still retain the natural acidity that keeps it so fresh and vibrant.'
Another highly regarded Riesling whisperer is Jarrad Steele, senior winemaker at Pauletts, whose wines come mostly from Watervale and Polish Hill River, and who believes that purity is another distinguishing character. 'Purity and expression of lime fruit sets Clare apart for me,' says Steele. 'It's also about its capacity to deliver a sense of place and express the characters that come from each of our sites.'
THE SUB-REGIONAL STYLE OF CLARE VALLEY RIESLING
When it comes to site and potential for expression, the Clare is a mosaic of distinct sub-regions, each contributing a voice to the overall chorus that is the Clare. Here are some generalities: Auburn is the valley's southernmost district, known for Rieslings with delicate florals - jasmine and orange blossom and lime zest with crisp acid driven palates balanced by subtle sweetness, and flavours of green apple and mandarin.
Leasingham/Watervale is next as you head into town, and is where the intensity and complexity dial up a notch. Wild aromatics of lime cordial, kaffir lime, white peach, wet stone and minerality drive through zesty and pure layers of fruit that can range from stonefruit to tropical. Acid plays a big part in the balance of these wines and they can last decades.
Sevenhill's Rieslings for instance can be identified by their elegance, finesse and savoury restraint, and can exhibit a wild range of aromatics ranging from elderflowers, lemon verbena, crushed herbs, spice notes and a flavour profile that leans toward the tart citrus of Meyer lemon and yuzu.
Polish Hill River produces some of Clare Valley's most austere and age-worthy Rieslings, defined by piercing lime juice, green mango and sea spray aromas.
The palate can showcase electrifying, acid-spiked Granny Smith apple and quince. Pure and crystalline, the beauty of these Rieslings lies in a balance between fruit intensity and mineral austerity.
At the heart of it all is Clare itself, somehow offering a potential blend of all sub-regional traits. Aromas of citrus blossom, nectarine, and f lint are multi-faceted and can make way for bold flavours of lemon meringue pie, blood orange, and apricot, with textures that can range from zest to silk.
SELECTOR TASTING: CLARE VALLEY RIESLING
Team Clare - from left to right, Adam Eggins,Warrick Duthy, Kerri Thompson, Jarrad Steele, Paul Diamond,Adam Walls, Marnie Roberts and Steve Baraglia.
To get some perspective Selector assembled a panel of Riesling specialists and set about assessing 60 examples of Clare Riesling. Wine Selectors Co-Chair Adam Walls and myself were joined by Adam Eggins (chief winemaker at Taylors Wines), Jarrad Steele (senior winemaker at Pauletts), Kerri Thompson (winemaker at Skillogalee and Wines By KT), Marnie Roberts (winemaker and owner of Matriarch & Rogue), Steve Baraglia (chief winemaker at Pikes) and Warrick Duthy, publican and GM of the iconic Watervale Hotel.
Overall the high level of quality stood out across the spectrum presented, with the purity and clarity of the wines across the board making for a challenging tasting. Assessing the standard, balance and the structural merit in wines like these requires looking deep into the subtle nuances, that are sometimes tiny and completely unnoticeable at first glance.
They are thrilling, refreshing, juicy and thirst-quenching wines that are layered with fine detail. Rabbit holes to disappear down are abundant.
Steve Baraglia from Pikes, whose 'Traditionale' is one of the country's most iconic (and purchased) Rieslings, has a parallel view of Clare Rieslings. 'With Clare Riesling being so pure and delicate, any issues along the way show up in the wine: poorly grown vines, stressed vines, exposed fruit, stressed fermentation; all detract from the purity of fruit,' he explains. 'The winemaking process is simple, but the hardest to execute because there is nowhere to hide if you get it wrong.'
Despite the capacity to be elegant and delicate, Clare Rieslings can at the same time be powerful, with the balance of these often opposing forces being the determining driver of quality and, ultimately, the ability for them to unfurl slowly and gracefully age over decades.
'Clare Riesling has a level of power and delicacy that is perhaps one of the highest points for the variety in Australia,' explains Adam Eggins at the tasting. 'Riesling is a very resilient variety and here it and can produce great wines in most seasons. The higher altitude wines have higher aromatic peaks, whereas some of the benchmark brands make wines which offer true longevity.' We all look forward to tasting those now and into the future.
CLARE VALLEY RIESLING TASTING HIGHLIGHTS
NAKED RUN THE FIRST RIESLING 2024
RRP $25
Clean, pure, crisp and refreshing, this beautifully crafted wine was at the top of the 2024 class. Pretty aromatics of citrus, florals and crushed biscuits flow cleanly into a well-crafted palate of vibrant limes, green apples and lemons. Astounding value.
PAULETTS POLISH HILL RIVER RIESLING 2024
RRP $38
Beautifully weighted and poised, this was another clear standout with attractive fragrance of sweet and sour limes and lime blossom with a plush, succulent palate of grapefruits, lime juice and ginger. Rich, creamy, elegant and complex.
PIKES WINES THE MERLE RESERVE RIESLING 2024
RRP $62
Garnet in colour with deep aromas of cooked and fresh plum, blackberry and pepper. A full-bodied palate with a ripe black fruit core of plum and blackberry, complemented by hints of liquorice and savoury spice. Good acidity and grippy tannins, with a fine finish.
JIM BARRY WINES THE FLORITA RIESLING 2017
RRP $75
Another aged standout with freshness, poise and loads of juicy fruit. The palate is silky, complex and loaded with ripe peach and delicately weighted limes. The nose presents with a toasty, complex mix of limes, grapefruit, lemon zest and jasmine flowers. Delicious.
WINES BY KT PEGLIDIS VINEYARD WATERVALE RIESLING 2024
RRP $45
Shows lovely balance and texture. Generously weighted aromas of green apples, herbs and lime flow through to a delicate, zesty and lengthy palate of green apples and limes. Licks of sea spray and minerals add to this wineÕs appeal.
CLAYMORE WINES JOSHUA TREE RIESLING 2024
RRP $24
Energetic and fresh, this wine punches well above its weight with bright and fresh aromatics of grapefruits, candied limes, green apples and jasmine. The palate is tangy, powerful and mouthwatering; grapefruits, limes and apples. All class from Claymore here.
SEVENHILL CELLARS 27 MILES RIESLING 2023
RRP $50
At the top of the 2023 wines with a long and balanced palate. This wine is loaded with crisp apples, ripe pears, beeswax and talc while aromatics are delicate with white flowers, apples, lemons, peach skin and hints of toast. A divine little pleasure from Sevenhill.
MOUNT HORROCKS WATERVALE RIESLING 2024
RRP $42
Fresh, lifted and juicy, this is a Clare classic with crunchy green apples, herbs, pretty florals and sweet and creamy lemon and lime aromas. The palate is fleshy and generous with concentrated lines of green apples, lime zest and white pears. Yum.
O'LEARY WALKER WINES WATERVALE RIESLING 2024
RRP $27
Balanced and generous, this wine is perfumed with orange blossom, lime, ginger and rosewater. The palate is crisp, dry and silky with ripe
layers of grapefruits, tropical lime and ginger. A nicely finessed wine that ticks all the boxes for lovers of Clare Riesling at a great price.
PIKES WINES THE MERLE RIESLING 2019
RRP $62
Fresh, ripe and at a lovely stage of development, this wine is driven by pure lines of limes, nectarines, and peaches framed with a chalky limestone texture. The aromatics are toasty with waxy lemons, limes and hints of beeswax. One for the cellar with decades ahead of it.