From a single estate in the Clare Valley, this is Riesling grown in the Watervale sub-region, a strip of the valley where the old vineyards sit on slate and shale over limestone. Mr.Riggs farms it dry and picks it early, which is why the wine lands at 12.5% and tastes like it does.
- Riesling, the grape and nothing else.
- Watervale, the Clare Valley's most quoted sub-region.
- 2022, a cool, even Clare Valley vintage.
- Dry, light bodied, high in acid.
- 750ml, 12.5% alcohol.
How it tastes
Lime oil and citrus blossom on the nose, then green apple and a jasmine note that sits above the fruit rather than in it. There is a wet slate edge underneath, the mark of Watervale's stony soils, and the acidity is high and straight, cutting the wine into a long, dry finish. Nothing sweet, nothing heavy, no oak anywhere near it.
Where it comes from
Clare Valley runs north of Adelaide in South Australia, and it is one of the few places on earth that built its reputation on Riesling rather than on reds. Watervale is the sub-region at its southern end, cooler than the rest of the valley, with a diurnal swing between warm days and cold nights that keeps the acidity sharp while the flavours ripen.
Good to know
Clare Valley Riesling is picked early on purpose. The grape loses acid fast once it ripens, so the window between green and flabby is short, and the best growers pick on flavour rather than on sugar. It is also one of the few white wines that will keep improving in the bottle for a decade or more, turning honeyed and toasty with age.
