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Tour de Riesling
United Cellars, 140 William Street, Sydney
Tasted October 21, 2021 by chatters with 86 views
Introduction
Finally out of lockdown and allowed to taste in public with other people (all of whom seem to have got hairier)...Nice opener with Riesling...
Flight 1 - On entry (1 note)
this was thrust into my hand upon arrival...I wish it hadn't been...
White - Sparkling
2017 Hungerford Hill Dalliance Sparkling
medium minus intensity aromas of lemon (served quite cold so this was all I could glean). Medium plus intensity acidity, sour, aggressive mousse...ugh.
Flight 2 - Rieslingfreak (4 notes)
nice bracket of RF most recent releases...3, 4 & 5 could have done with either a bit more air or another year to calm down
White
2021 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 3
Sulhpur followed by pretty floral top notes joins with lemon, lime and a little clay and a tiny hint of candy floss. Medium plus intensity acidity, textured mid palate grip, fruit is a little muted but shows lemon and green apple, bone dry. Medium plus length with that sulphur intruding on the finish.
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Comment
White
2021 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 4
Sulphur again but less so than the No.3. A little lime and a touch of peach, slight wet stone. Medium plus intensity acidity is the just right side of sharp, lighter and more linear than the No.3, very slight texture, flavours of citrus; mostly lemon and lemon pith.
White - Off-dry
2021 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 5 Off Dry
Sulphur, that candy floss note is slightly more present here, green apples over slight lime and more ripe apple notes. Medium plus intensity acidity, textured grip, almost a lemon sherbet note, tangy but a bit a short with that lemon note.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2019 Rieslingfreak Riesling No. 8
Ooh, first Kerosene of the day, this rather dominates proceedings but hiding beneath this a little apple and wet stone. Off dry with medium plus intensity acidity, rpe green apple over kerosene, tangy with apple skin grip. It's a bit like eating an apple after you've fiiled up the car.
Flight 3 - Random Australia (4 notes)
yeah, the step up in quality to the Grosset was tangible
White
2021 Robert Stein Dry Riesling
Wet stone, a little sulphur, slight cream soda, green apple. Medium plus intensity acidity, a little sharp, finishes a touch bitter, oddly a touch of alcohol warmth brings a flush to the cheeks (or that could be the sulphur) Touch short.
White
2021 Mount Horrocks Riesling Watervale
Medium minus intensity aromas of green apple over lime and lime cordial, a little minerality. Medium plus intensity acidity, juicy, tangy, lime and apple. Bone dry, tiny warmth. Medium length. A touch of anonymity for me.
White
2018 Frogmore Creek Riesling
Kerosene, slight honey, lime cordial, bone dry with pronounced acidity which proves a bit sharp..flavours are quite muted after this. Meh.
White
2021 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill Clare Valley
Apple, slight floral top notes, a little citrus. Simple, but concentrated nose. Medium plus intensity acidity tends more to lime on the palate. Served a bit too cold which slightly diminishes the wine though you can't hide the quality or balance here.
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Comments (2)
Flight 4 - Age (and a young 'un) (4 notes)
Clonakilla make a great riesling. tip of the hat. The grosset was the pick of the rest of them...talk was of the Trimbach being a bit flat...
White
2021 Clonakilla Riesling
Peach, sulphur, apple, stony minerality, floral top notes. Medium plus intensity acidity, juicy with apple, textured, very slight pettilance, tangy. Lovely
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Comment
White
2003 Mesh Riesling
Kerosene, cream, honey, slight butter, slight green notes and candied lime on the nose. medium plus intensity acidity, textured, buttery, slight bitter lime. Interesting but not for me. More of a curio...
White
2007 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
Waxy lemons, cream, apple, almost a touch of grapefruit and orange. Medium plus intensity acidity but an impression of softness, textured mid palate grip lends minerality, linear, medium plus length, warmth on the finish, touches of citrus flavour.
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Comment
White
2002 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill Clare Valley
Initially muted kerosene (which grows with time), lime, apple, slight butter, candied orange peel, slight honey on the nose. medium plus intensity acidity, very slight butter, similar flavours to the nose in fact, slight texture on the mid palate, bone dry but the age feels like it softens the acidity, slight alcohol warmth on the finish. Nice.
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Flight 5 - Germany with a ring in (4 notes)
Bit of a silly bracket - the Frankland was all fruit forward which made the Germans a little savoury and flat. Cellarhand (importer) have a bucket load of other German Rieslings on their books that would have shown better imo...
White
2021 Frankland Estate Riesling
Sulphur, lemon and lime initially then slightly meaty notes, touch of jubiness lends a little stone fruit. Medium plus intensity acidity, tangy, a little grip, slight alcohol warmth, fruit forward (lemon and stone fruit) but a little short. Probably a touch of residual sugar here. Nice for an entry level fruit forward quaffer.
White
2020 A. Christmann Riesling
Savoury and slightly saline, fruit a little muted, smells a little flat, dusty notes. Medium plus intensity acidity is sharp and bone dry, textured mid palate grip but this is a little dilute in this line up. Meh.
White
2020 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Slightly reductive and dusty initially. Medium minus intensity fruit flavours show apple, palate shows the same, residual sugar offsets quite sharp acid. Very young. Very simple. Hmm.
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Comment
White
2017 LoosenBarry Walhalla Riesling Dry Riesling
Smells soft, creamy, apple, sulphur, slightly reductive ,with time a touch of lime and lemon. In the mouth there is a little petillance, more green apple here with sherbet. Acid is quite sharp and there is a touch of texture. Hmm.
Flight 6 - the other side of the Tasman (5 notes)
The Castagna was a thrown in bonus (I use the word advisedly). Interesting how the kiwis are less afraid of residual sugar than their Australian counterparts...for the most parts this means that their wines are less like battery acid to drink and the fruit pops a little more. Ho hum. The Matt Dicey was very nice.
White
2018 Castagna Quasibianco Grower's Selection
Oh dear! Tomato leaf, slightly oxidised, waxy, a little bruised apple, crushed green almonds. Just about medium plus intensity acidity, very sweet and sour on the palate. Exceedingly unpleasant. One to give to people you don't really like.
White
2019 Koyama Riesling Tussock Terrace Vineyard
Sulphur, slightly reductive and closed...with agitation shows quite savoury orchard fruit, touches of almost band aid and sweaty armpits. Medium plus acidity is offset by a touch of residual sugar, flavours are quite muted. Hmm.
White
2019 Greywacke Riesling
Stinky wild ferment rather masks the fruit; annoyingly as it shows some pretty red and green apple. Medium plus intensity acidity is again married to residual sugar to help the fruit pop and the wine become more approachable and balanced...again apple is waging a losing campaign against the wild ferment...
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
2020 Matt Dicey Riesling New Zealand Riesling Challenge
Hullo! apple tends to custard apple, clean and quite simple. Pronounced acidity; would be horrendously sharp if it wasn't for the residual sugar which balances things out and let's that apple and custard apple fruit sing and lends a tangy vivacity to the palate. Long. Good.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2018 Koyama Riesling Noble Riesling
Aromas of apricot, green tea, a little toast, cream, apple, the botrytis is much more obvious on the palate and lends more apricot and, if you can imagine it, an apple marmalade note. Okay.
Flight 7 - Randoms (4 notes)
An up and down bracket...the Juliane Eller was super interesting, the Pegasus Bay appealed to my sweet tooth...
White
2021 Sons of Eden Riesling Freya
lime, lemon, floral top notes. medium plus acidity, lime, lemon, textured mid palate grip. sulphur..fruit just about stumbles past the grip. simple. clean. by itself could be interesting but in this line up it's meh
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
2020 Juliane Eller Riesling Juwel
Mineral, slight wild ferment notes (are not intrusive), very slight sulphur, apples and lemons. medium plus intensity acidity, bone dry, loads of texture on the palate, the fruit is clean and similar to the nose...I love the texture here. Interesting and sliding towards compelling. bravo.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
2020 Bream Creek Riesling
Slightly confected notes combined with a touch of salinity, savoury smelling, sulphur, perhaps wild ferment (?). Hmm. Pronounced acidity and it's a little bitter as well. Fruit just about present, grippy on the back palate. bit out of whack. Hmm.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2018 Pegasus Bay Riesling Aria Late Picked
Smells 'sweet'! Touch of botrytis, cream, slight butter, apricot, peach, a little orange marmalade. Medium plus intensity acidity but still tangy, sweet; quite luscious in fact, but the acidity lends freshness. Similar flavours to the nose. very slight orange peel bitterness on the finish. Balanced. Nice.
Flight 8 - Reds to wine down (2 notes)
Phil and I headed to Fix St James for a couple of palate cleansing reds...both lightweight and a perfect cliched old world vs new world tasting. fun fun fun.
Red
2018 Domaine de la Pinte Poulsard Arbois pinte bien
Slightly gamey, funky, dirty, farmyard over pretty and slightly jubey cherry. Juicy acid, plenty of texture, sour cherry, slightly menthol, wet stone...Hmm
Red
2018 Hurley Vineyard Pinot Noir Lodestone
Plenty of lovely new oak; all caramel and chocolate, very cherry ripe in fact, fried in butter and with a dollop of cream. And that cherry ripe note translates to the palate, softly engaging, buttery and rich. Alcohol is present but contained.
Closing
A lot of fun...a few winners as per the bracket headers...nothing in the cellar (yet)