Winetastic

I had been meaning to try the Knappstein Ackland Riesling 2005 for some time having seen many favourable reviews upon its release. This particular bottle has been sitting on my tasting shelf for a few months, summer has come and gone with only a few bottles of white being cracked open at all, perhaps I am becoming a red bigot?

Pale straw in colour, aromas of lime, lemon and just a hint of petroleum are present. No petrol flavours were evident, however there is a good whack of lemon zest and lime. Not fruity, not dry, really well balanced with good length.

From reading other reviews written closer to release, apparently this Riesling had racy acidity which appears to have settled down. Perhaps that was the little bit of extra excitement that I found to be missing in this otherwise well made wine. I have two more bottles and wont be touching them for several years at least.

Score: 89/100
Price: $22
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Knappstein, Winorama, Winediva
Would I buy this wine again?
Probably not, I was expecting a little bit more.

As summer rapidly approaches, so does the impending tidal wave of Riesling and Semillon which call out for the warmer weather. A squeeky clean new release from Leo Buring is first up, the 2006 Eden Valley Riesling.

Almost transparent with just a hint of lemon colour, this Riesling has a varietal nose of grapes, green apples, pear and lemon sherbet. Lemon zest and nectarine fruit flavours lead into a dry finish with a hint of grassyness. The acid levels in this wine make it a solid drink-now proposition.

Whereas the 2005 vintage had racy acidity and minerality that added complexity and interest, the 2006 release is more fruit forward and a tad simple. It did go down great with Tuesday night Fettucine Boscaiola.

Score: 87/100
Price: $14
Closure: Scewcap
Alcohol: 13%
Other Opinions: Wino Sapien
Would I buy this wine again?
Its a good example of Aussie Riesling for the price, however this variety can pack even more punch if you hunt around. Probably not.

Another day another good value for money Riesling. The variety continues to impress with the high quality available at sub $15 prices, this week with the Annie’s Lane Clare Valley Riesling 2005.

I found it hard to describe the aromas of this wine, other than it smells distinctly like Riesling, one might say “a varietal nose” of citrus and grapes. Pale lemon in colour, the wine is relatively soft with restrained acidity, and lime fruit flavours. The finish is quite long and dry. There are further details on the Annie’s Lane website.

It is hard to argue with the price of only $11 per bottle at various retailers. Overall this is an easy drinking Riesling which would pair nicely with spicy asian or creamy chicken dishes. However if you’re after a well priced Riesling with a bit more backbone, look toward the Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling 2005.

Score: 6/10
Price: $11
Closure: Screwcap
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, very good value for money, drinking well now when paired with food

A wine applauded by the critics for presenting a good little Riesling at an outstanding price. The price is certainly right, only $14 a bottle, however the wine lacks the backbone and complexity found in the similar priced Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling.

Lemon, passionfruit and a little cut grass on the nose, the palate presented refreshing citrus flavours, specifically grapefruit. The wine had good length and was not overly dry. There are extensive tasting notes available on the Madfish website.

In essence this is an uncomplicated crowd pleaser, drink it young and enjoy. The flavours reminded me at times of a Sauvignon Blanc, fine for those who enjoy a little cats pee in their diet, however the finish of this Riesling is not quite to my taste.

Score: 6/10
Would I buy this wine again?
I purchased 6 of these based on the praise received by many reviewers, lesson learned, taste first and trust your own palate.

Tasted blind along with the 2005 Eden and Clare Valley Rieslings, the premium “Leonay” was voted by the majority to be the pick of the range, unsurprising considering this wine is only made from the best grapes each vintage.

Citrus on the nose, but nowhere near as bold as the Eden Valley. Outstanding balance between citrus fruits and mineral acidity on the palate, finishes dry without any hint of being sour. The detailed official tasting notes can be found here.

In a nut shell, this is a more refined and exceptionally well balanced version of the 2005 Eden Valley Riesling. The price will unfortunately rule out the average punter, coming in at around $30 a bottle. My advice, try the standard Eden Valley Riesling and if it tickles your fancy, put a bottle or two of the Leonay away for a few years.

Score: 10/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Too expensive to drink every day, I feel obliged to put a couple of bottles away in the cellar as by all reports, this is one of the best Australian Rieslings in recent years .

More subtle than its Eden Valley cousin, the 2005 Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling presents the same quality and excellent value for money. This wine was tasted blind along with the Eden Valley and Leonay Rieslings, both from 2005.

Subtle nose with hints of pear and floral notes, the palate was also more subtle than the eden valley or leonay and consisted of sour apple and limes backed by controlled acidity. The officail tasting notes can be found here.

Score: 8/10
Would I buy this wine again?
If the Eden Valley Riesling was unavailable, in a heartbeat. Excellent value for money at around $14 a bottle.

“That’s some damn fine kerosene”

What on earth? This is honestly the most unusual wine I’ve ever tasted. I think my initial reaction sums it up well: I began to hold up the glass of Riesling to my nose, ready to take in the aromas of yet another wine… but it didn’t make it to my nose, I immediately placed the glass back down, looking around the room concerned that someone had spilt some chemicals nearby… until I realised: it was the wine. What!?

My informant tells me that often aged Riesling will produce these kerosene, petrolium characteristics… well they certainly are noticeable… distracting would be a better term, an even better term would be “overpowering”. Is this the aged Riesling “curse of the kero” or do most aged Rieslings exhibit this type of flavour?

Indeed, I believe this is the kind of unappealing flavours I have tried in the past with some younger Rieslings (and thus milder flavour) that I did not like then and I certainly do not like now with this 2001 Riesling. But hey, this is definitely a worthy experiment - so lets experiment.

At first I served it up quite chilled, straight from the bottle into my mouth. I gave it a day to sit and let it warm up a bit before serving: the wine was completely different. The kerosene flavours had softened, the buttery / olive oil and lime flavours came out and I was left with what equated to a reasonable aged wine with plenty of depth, and a nice finish to boot. Trying the same trick a few days later the depth seemed to evaporate a bit, I guess thats what you get leaving it open for too long though…

I initially brought this baby along to the Wine-tastic Riesling evening where the rest of the Riesling was from 2005. I’m going to have to go with the younger ones in general, then again maybe its just our good friend Leo Buring’s magic touch, but this certainly was an interesting journey - a grand wine adventure to be sure!

Would I buy this wine again? No, but I may check out younger vintages based on some favourable comments. I guess you should never say never though! In the end it was quite good, but probably not what I’m after in a white wine - at the end of the day it still tasted a bit too much like motor oil. Aged Semillon is still where its at for me. Check out the Mitchelton tasting notes on their site.

Over the past couple of months we’ve really had our eyes opened by some of the better Rieslings on the market, like this fantastic offering from Simon Gilbert Wines. This Riesling is from their card collection range and like the rose it’s of a very high standard and is a personal favourite.

This wine has aromatic floral notes on the nose which carry across the palate accompanied by the crisp citrus flavours typical of most Rieslings. A soft yellow in colour, with subtle hues of green, there is a long balanced acidic finish to be found, which compliments Thai food perfectly. It’s is an excellent, refreshing drink now Riesling, but the acid structure of it tells us it will benefit well from a few years in the cellar.

Would i buy this wine again? At only $15 a bottle this wine really is fantastic value. I think the rose just pips it at the post for me, but this is still a great wine, so yes i would buy it again. If you haven’t tried a wine from Simon Gilbert yet i really urge you to go out and buy a bottle. They’re producing some outstanding wines, smooth, fruit-driven and excellent with food, i promise you won’t be dissapointed.

Gary Walsh at WinoRama gave the Leo Buring 2005 Eden Valley Riesling a great review, so I figured it was worthwhile picking up a bottle. Drank during a scorching hot evening in Sydney, the wine delivered big time on three fronts, refreshment, balance and value for money.

Exceptional clarity in the glass, with floral and citrus scents on the nose. Zesty citrus flavours come to the party followed by a long finish with just a hint of sweetness along with the dry acidity. A wine with excellent balance, perfect if you prefer your whites to have restrained fruit character. If you are so inclined, the “official” tasting notes can be found here.

A 2005 Leo Buring “Leonay” premium riesling has also been released, a comparison is in order if a bottle can be located. Unless the premium offering is truly nectar of the gods, I find it hard to beleive it would present better value for money.

Score: 9/10
Would I buy this wine again?
This is my favorite riesling I have tried to date, furthermore the retail price is only around $13 a bottle and thus presents outstanding value for money. I will be purchasing a case.

A fresh, crisp Riesling from Peter Lehmann, it really is a must taste from his Barossa Range. Peter Lehmann Wines have won the prestigious “Peter Sichel Trophy for best Riesling, World Wide” on no less than four occasions with an Eden Valley Riesling.

A delicate shade of yellow with tints of green this wine is really outstanding when chilled right. Refreshing lemon and lime flavours slide into the mouth with hints of the rich honey tones that will emerge with good cellaring, and the soft citrusy undertones carry across the midde of the palate beautifully. This is an incredibly balanced wine with a good length to it which is enhanced when accompanied by food. This is a great drink now wine, but will mellow and soften with age, once the honeytones are allowed to develop.

Would i buy this wine again? At around $15 a bottle this is a fantastic wine for the money, i’d go as far as to say it’s one of my favourite Rieslings on the market at the moment.