The grapes are exclusively sourced from the Bellarmine vineyard in the high quality cool climate region of Pemberton in South-Western Australia. Planted in 2000 by hand, the vines are trained to Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) to give optimum exposure of the fruit to sunshine during the ripening season which occurs from December to late March. The soils are red gravel laterite soils which provide excellent drainage and give warmth to the vines' root systems at night from the sunshine the red gravel has absorbed during the daylight hours. Bellarmine wines famously makes three different styles of Riesling, each with its own story and appeal. One of very few vineyards in Pemberton to grow Riesling, it is the fact that the vineyard is owned by a German couple, Dr Willi and Gudrun Schumacher, that we can give thanks that we live in such a multicultural country.

Harvested in the cool of the night at a later stage than the other styles of Riesling. Our winemaker regularly tastes the grapes and determines the harvest date from the developing flavours. Some Botrytis is tolerated as the 'noble rot' or mould that naturally occurs is well-suited to this sweet style of Riesling. The famous wines of Sauternes in Bordeaux rely on Botrytis for their unique, and much sought-after, character. The fruit is treated very delicately to preserve the ripe Riesling flavours of peach and melon. The fermentation is carefully controlled and occurs in stainless steel to encourage the wine to develop its own complex flavours without the influence of oak. A yeast that can easily be stopped is used and at the appropriate level of alcohol (usually around 7.5%) the yeast is killed by chilling the wine. This has the effect of retaining the natural sugars found in the grapes and this sweetness combined with the high natural acidity gives this wine a perfect balance.
 
Good varietal definition, with a strong mineral core surrounding green apple and lime fruit; sweet, but with good texture; an interesting wine. Screwcap. 7% alc. Rating 90 Points; Drink 2015 Release Price $17 Date Tasted Sep 08 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011

Riesling vines were first planted as part of Henry Best’s ‘Nursery Block’ vineyard in the 1860’s. Then from subsequent plantings in 1944 and 1978, Riesling has become a significant part of our regime. The Riesling vines from Great Western produce flavoursome, elegantly structured, spectacularly age-worthy Rieslings which stand confidently alongside some of the most outstanding Australian examples of the variety. Vintage 2011 was a fantastic season for white wines in Great Western. Despite a challenging season with lots of rainfall, canopy and yield management allowed pristine fruit to develop. Unlike previous years, there were few hot periods, which allowed the wines to ripen naturally, with lemon and lime blossom flavours and great acid balance. A stand out season for Riesling. Alcohol 11.5%; Winery Notes

Winemaker Adam Wadewitz Video Tasting

Light straw-green; fragrant, floral/blossom aromas are followed by an exceptionally intense palate, with wonderful drive to its lime, lemon and apple fruit; has revelled in the cool conditions. Screwcap. Drink by: 2025 Alc: 11.5% Rating: 97 points; James Halliday Australian Wine Companion.

What a stunning wine this is; a real crowd pleaser with fresh, vibrant citrus flavours leaping out of the glass at you. Riesling has been grown in the Great Western region of Victoria since the 1860s with the diurnal variations ideal for the variety. That said, few recent new releases have shone as brightly in their youth as this, which combines both power and finesse. It's the pure, crystaline fruit that shines with floral, zesty lemon and lime aromas and flavours, excellent minerality and delightfully zingy acidity, along with a couple of grams of residual sugar to add interest, and sensible alcohol levels at 11.5%. A brilliant buy for the price.  Winsor Dobbin, Sunday Examiner

Surprising for such a young riesling from a cold vintage, Best's 2011 riesling delivers buckets of upfront floral and citrus fruit aroma and flavour Although the wine clearly has minerality and fairly high acidity it's offset by deep, juicy sweet fruit flavour and rich, smooth texture. This delicious interplay between high acidity, sweet fruit flavour and rich texture is perhaps what winemaker Adam Wadewitz had in mind when describing it as "a wine with great tension". Chris Shanahan, Canberra Times

Best’s Great Western winery has a long history of top-notch Riesling production. This 2011 wine is all about varietal purity – zesty lime, floral mysteries and tart green apple aromas meet the nose, the deliciously juicy palate is enhanced by a subtle whisper of apple sweetness, and the finish is lip-smacking and long. (Screw cap; 11.5 per cent alcohol.) Ageing? Drink over six years. Food ideas Tandoori prawns; seafood salad. Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age, Epicure

The Bests Great Western Riesling 2011 has barely broken stride from its pale straw colour, the freshness of this wine is immediately evident on the nose with lime, lemon, pear and apple notes along with pretty florals. In the mouth there is a freshness of a different kind with these same flavours balanced by minerality and chalky nuances, the zesty texture just lingering on and on. Beautifully balanced with a cut of acid escorting the palate through to a long finish. Amazingly youthful, I'm actually staggered by the conservative drinking windows from the experts, especially when we have examples of this wine from the last three decades finished under tree bark and still looking pristine and remarkably fresh. Under screwcap this will go two days to two decades. Drink: Now-2020+; Quality: Exceptional BW; WineStar© November 2011

Pale straw with green hues. A tight, citrus dominated, nose, showing lime and lemon characters. Some light floral notes, orange blossom and a minerally edge adds interest. The palate is Riesling in its purest form, tight and elegant and dominated by citrus fruit characters. The natural acidity is powerful yet wonderfully balanced and gives the wine a mineral structure and great length.

The wine is tight and restrained with an attractive delicacy now, yet will blossom with age for at least ten years. Ideal aperitif wine, will also accompany fish and delicate crustacean and mild Asian dishes. Cellaring potential: Excellent ageing potential. It will continue to improve through its first year and then plateau, should drink well for at least 10 years.

The estate vineyards are now 27 years old and quietly spoken winemaker Rob Diletti has an exceptional palate. An arresting bouquet of wild flower and citrus blossom leads into a classic Castle Rock palate that year-in, year-out gradually develops great complexity, building on the extreme length already present. Drink now- 2025; 96 Points; James Halliday, Top 100, The Weekend Australian, November 2010

Dandelion Vineyards was named one of the ‘Best 10 new wineries’, One of the ‘Best of the Best’ and 5/5 stars (inaugural vintage) in James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011. It was also named in Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE's ‘Best of the Best 2010: new players to watch’

Quintessential Eden Valley, with fragrant lemon and lime blossom aromas, the elegant palate driven by the pure fruit promised by the bouquet; has great balance, line and length. From a single vineyard planted in the 1880s; trophy 2010 Qld Wine Show for Best One-Year-Old White; 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion 2012

Fashioned from 99-year-old Eden Valley vines, which alone does not guarantee excellence, the winemaker here has achieved jaw-dropping quality. As with all great Edens, it has a wonderful chalky, slatey element about it and brilliant purity of citrus fruit balanced by crisp acidity and behaving like a sherbetty lemon sorbet in the mouth. An exceptional wine that has a long life ahead of it. Now – 2021+; Quality: Exceptional BW; WineStar© April 2011

Trophy – Best White Wine - Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2010
Gold Medal - Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2010
Blue-Gold – Sydney International Wine Show 2011

Another outstanding Dandelion that showcases the wonderfully textured minerality of a remarkable vineyard, suspected to date back to the 1880's. A wine of beautiful seamlessness and finesse, accented by delicate lemon blossom perfume and zesty grapefruit flavours. 95 Points; Tyson Stelzer; Wine Business Monthly

More Pretty pollen than most young edens. Otherwise, it tastes a lot like the old rocks below that sparse sod. Carambola and diluted Bosc pear juice also come to mind, and a whack of lemon pith. Given the great age of everything involved, other than its very pregnant maker, the wine is taut with youthful aspects which seem very, very ready to sprog, groove and boogie. Amazing. 94+++ Points; Philip White, Little White Book 2010, November 2010

A Riesling from this experienced team showing plenty of pure crystaline Eden Valley appeal, fine lemon crystal and ethereal fragrance. The palate is cut even and straight bringing bright citrus flavour in on fine acid lines. 5 Stars * * * * * Tony Love, The Sunday Age, October 2010

Super-fine, elevated florals here, with bright lemon/lime citrus and hints of spice; a good thread of crystalline Eden valley quartz too. The palate’s bright, light and focussed, sitting on pithy citrus flavours and a juicy spark of flinty acid through the finish. 93 Points; Nick Stock, The Age Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide, November 2010

This magnificent, delicate riesling comes from a 2.4-hectare Eden Valley vineyard planted in the late nineteenth century and tended for the last 66 years by 90 year old Colin Kroehn. Fruit was hand harvested from the vineyard, its free-run juice fermented in small batches by Elena Brooks, and the wine bottled without fining or filtration. A trophy at the recent Brisbane show hints at the quality in the bottle – set to reveal itself slowly over the next few decades. This is a winner. Chris Shanahan

Delatite are best known for their aromatic whites, which have claimed a litany of trophies and medals over the years, as well as receiving great reviews around the world. The first vines were planted in 1968 on a picturesque rise overlooking the vineyards toward Mt Buller. It became quickly known that the Delatite site was something quite special, as all of the wines, Riesling in particular, are a true expression of vineyard and mesoclime

Priority is given to preserving the vital expressions of the vineyard. Fruit is hand harvested and hand pruned, which permits the older vines, some as old as forty years, the best possible chance to express themselves. The grapes are handled whilst cool, kept judiciously chilled and held on skins for a few hours in the press. Cold settled and racked, the natural wild yeasts from the vineyard are used in preference to cultured packaged yeast. Ferments begin within two weeks of harvest and will normally run for around three weeks at between 10°C and 15°C before completion. All components are then treated to an extended period sitting on gross lees before being cleaned up ready for bottling. Alcohol 13.0%

Light straw colour. Shows strong grapefruit and lime aromas, combined with regional florals. Delatite offers great length of flavour, a mineral finish and a lovely crisp natural acidity.

Delatite are best known for their aromatic whites, which have claimed a litany of trophies and medals over the years, as well as receiving great reviews around the world. The first vines were planted in 1968 on a picturesque rise overlooking the vineyards toward Mt Buller. It became quickly known that the Delatite site was something quite special, as all of the wines, Riesling in particular, are a true expression of vineyard and mesoclime

Priority is given to preserving the vital expressions of the vineyard. Fruit is hand harvested and hand pruned, which permits the older vines, some as old as forty years, the best possible chance to express themselves. The grapes are handled whilst cool, kept judiciously chilled and held on skins for a few hours in the press. Cold settled and racked, the natural wild yeasts from the vineyard are used in preference to cultured packaged yeast. Ferments begin within two weeks of harvest and will normally run for around three weeks at between 10°C and 15°C before completion. All components are then treated to an extended period sitting on gross lees before being cleaned up ready for bottling. Alcohol 13.0%

Light straw colour. Shows strong grapefruit and lime aromas, combined with regional florals. Delatite offers great length of flavour, a mineral finish and a lovely crisp natural acidity.

This family-owned business is one of the oldest 'new' winemaking operations in WA, and was the site for the first grape plantings for Great Southern in 1965. The Forest Hill brand became well known, aided by the fact that a 1975 Riesling made by Sandalford from Forest Hill grapes won nine trophies. In 1997 a program of renovation and expansion of the vineyards commenced; the quality of the wines made from the oldest vines on the property is awesome (released under the numbered vineyard block labels)

Pale and bright, with flowery aromas; an elegant, precisely focused mix of lime, lime zest, spice and mineral; great length and perfect acidity. 12.8º alc. Drink 2017 $35 Date Tasted Dec 07 Rating: 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion 2009

The 2005, 2006 and now 2007 have all been awared 96 points by Halliday!

Each of the Block Series wines are produced in very small quantities dependent on the season and vintage. They are distinctive, elegant, typically Great Southern in style and represent Forest Hill's finest release in its forty year history. For this reason, the Block Series wines have strictly limited distribution. Block one was the first row of vines to be planted at Forest Hill in 1965. Low yielding and hand tendered by Luke Jolliffe our viticulturist; Block One has produced some of the most exciting fruit we have seen in recent times. Fermented with wild yeast, the wine is intense with extraordinary length and aromas of lime, spice and complex mineral characters. The palate has vibrant citrus notes with tight, clean acidity and a long textured finish that will see the wine age gracefully for many, many years.

Forest Hill is the oldest commercial vineyard in the Great Southern wine region of Western Australia. It has achieved Australia-wide recognition for its exceptional quality of grapes and award winning wines. The vineyard grows on rich, gravelly, well-drained soils set amongst undulating hills, and its proximity to the Southern Ocean leads to mild summers with cooling southerly breezes.

Contemporary, vibrant and elegant — the Goundrey Offspring wines are a true interpretation of the illustrious South West wine region. The golden sheep represents Offspring's distinctive quality and is a symbol of the Mount Barker winery's prestigious agricultural heritage.

Pale straw yellow in colour. Lifted aromas of lime and grapefruit resulting in perfumed complexity. The palate consists of crisp grapefruit and green apple flavours, with a long citrus finish. A classic Mount Barker style Riesling with firm but not overt acids.

A lovely, rich wine, full of ripe tropical and lime flavours; best now, as it has developed quickly. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 93 Points Drink 2010 Date Tasted Oct 07 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion

The seasonal conditions for ‘noble rot’, a natural infection of botrytis, occur only rarely in the Clare Valley: in fact, the previous Noble Riesling made by Grosset was in 1999.  This year, just under one hectare of riesling grapes was left for an extended time on the vine until each bunch had become fully infected and concentrating the flavours and the sweetness in the berries to more than double that normally achieved in ripe fruit. The result is an intensely concentrated, exquisitely rich, dessert style riesling

The Grosset Noble Riesling 2011 is an extreme example of this style, its complex, textural palate showing apricot, nectarine, and white peach yet is pure, precise and detailed with a powerful mineral backbone. It is long and lush with impressive weight and admirable balance as its cleansing natural acidity restrains its delicious sweetness.

The 2011 Grosset Off-dry Riesling has more restrained aromatics than the 'Springvale' – just a hint of white flowers, a whisper of lime juice – is softer and plumper than its sibling yet is still tight, fine and mouth-puckering. There's some slatey minerally savouriness on a tight palate and refreshing, cleansing acidity that leaves a fine hint of lingering sweetness. Almost identical in structure to the last year’s highly successful premier release, this wine is also rated ‘dry’ by International standards.

Best ever! OK, so the 2010 was the first, but I adore it and the 2011 is even more pristine, pure and immaculate. Subtle, impeccably gauged sweetness and delightful, lingering minerality. An intricately crafted wine that should come with a warning: once you start it’s impossible to put down your glass. Drink 2011-2026 Recommended Vintages: 2010; 95 points; Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste; Edition 28

The remarkable consistency of style continues in spite of the tricky conditions that the 2011 vintage visited on the vineyard. Some will love its youthful tautness, extreme coiled steeliness and pristine varietal character while others may well prefer to wait for it to shrug off its customary restraint, tightness of structure and zingy minerally acidity. Whatever your preference, it's all there. There's a restrained savouriness, a hint of lime blossom, intense and ultra-concentrated schisty, sea shell minerally flavours that are pure, long and deep, tight steely structure, and a long taut finish that lingers dry and satisfying.
 
Jeffrey Grosset was one of the first to announce he was thrilled by the quality of his rieslings in 2011. Light straw-green; a gently floral, perfumed bouquet is followed by a palate of great purity, with lime juice, and a hint of tropical fruit; the sheer intensity and extreme length is awesome, the after-palate persisting for what seems an eternity thanks to its core of minerality. From Clare Valley, SA; Drink to 2026 with pan-fried scallops; Rating: 97 points, $49, Screwcap, 12.5% alc; James Halliday Top 100 for 2011; The Weekend Australian, November 19th

The flagship Grosset riesling is a more restrained and savoury affair than the Springvale, showing plenty of lime juice and sweet perfume, and smells of wet grey rock, lime blossom and fresh-cut green apple. The palate’s smooth, dry and contained, with a sleeve of ripe white-peach flavour that runs in linear shape with composed, sleek restraint. Snaps tight and mouth-wateringly dry through the finish – really superb. One to age with confidence. 97 points; Nick Stock; SMH/The Age - Good Wine Guide 2012

Best Riesling - SMH/The Age - Good Wine Guide 2012

One of the most pristine riesling bouquets I have ever encountered. The most delicate lemon and lime blossoms, white lilies and green apples don’t do it justice. Pure, focused palate of mineral definition; textural presence on the back provides body; lime finish of epic persistence. Exact Polish Hill. Drink 2011-2012 or 2018-2026 Recommended Vintages: ‘10, ‘09, ‘08, ‘07 96 points; Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste; Edition 28
 
It’s a pretty telling wine, this Polish Hill 2011. There’s a conviction to this wine that feels compelling. It’s tight and dramatic but as its drinker I felt like I knew what was going on at all times. Apple, citrus, gunsmoke, chalk and slate. It cuts long through the palate and feels tight and (super) dry. It’s almost bitter, but not, and it manages to pull the effect off. This feels classic. Time will tell. 95 Points; Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front
 
This Clare Valley riesling is a bench-mark Australian regional wine. Its quality is never less than superb and the 2011 doesn’t disappoint. Lime zest, musky spice, blossom and steely aromas are intensely fragrant. The palate is sherbet-like and fine, pure and piercing, with an aromatic after taste. 5 Stars; Ralph Kyte-Powell; The Age, Epicure

The 2011 Grosset Springvale Riesling has wonderful, ethereal aromatics, fragrant lemongrass and freshly squeezed lime, intense lime pith and pure lemony flavours with some wet pebble minerals notes, a mid-palate fleshiness before its tight, lean structure follows through to a cleansing minerally finish that is slatey, powerfully focused and piercingly long.

Some Clare rieslings have suffered this year but here’s proof that generalisations are pointless. A classic Grosset without one molecule out of place, singing with a fragrance of white flowers and citrus blossom. It’s poised, pure and lively, lingering with mineral structure and sensational line and length. Drink 2011-2012 or 2018-2023 Recommended Vintages: ‘10, ‘09, ‘08, ‘07 95 points; Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste; Edition 28

The Heggies Vineyard grapes are picked in the cool of the night and swiftly transported to our winery. There is minimal handling of the juice and only the free run portion is selected for Heggies Vineyard Riesling. The juice is fermented at cool temperatures using aromatic yeasts and blended early at the completion of fermentation.
 
Heggies Vineyard Riesling 2011 is pale straw with green tints, showing notes of orange blossom, citrus, fresh lime juice and a hint of stone flint. The wine shows great length, drive and complexity with flavours of grapefruit and lime. The wine finishes with a hint of spice and mouth-watering acidity.
 
If this Riesling is in the bottleshop fridge, you've struck gold. It's a single-vineyard Riesling, delicate and delicious, and perfect with fishy entrées. It's one of the few widely distributed wines that you could actually cellar. Greg Duncan Powell, Masterchef Magazine, November 2011

A taut and restrained vintage with shy green apple, lime zest and lemon fruit, nuances of white pepper. Hold off and give it time for steely minerality to uncoil. 93 Points Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste.
 
Lime juice and zest with a subtle floral edge and a little white peach. It’s packed with flavour, perhaps a touch brassy and coarsely textured, yet mouthwatering and intense with a terrific zippy spicy finish. No whispering seduction here; this is a grunting physical style. Impressive. 93+ Points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

Harvesting by hand ensures true riesling characters are at the fore in the resultant wine from Frankland River, Western Australia. Citrus flower, green apple and a touch of orange zest lead to a palate that is gracefully balanced by a combination of crispness and a soft mineral lingering aftertaste. Drinking now or cellar for up to 8 years. The Riesling sourced from patch 4 and 5 on our Justin vineyard was selectively harvested to ensure only the ipest and most flavoursome fruit was picked for the wine.

Particularly lovely aromatics here - flowers, spice, lime and green apple lead into a full and flavoursome palate offering more of the same. Sweet green apple and citrus fruit that’s cut with a little mineral and spice flow through the mouth with only a minor bump of fractionally bitter phenolics along the way. It has balanced but fine soft acid and a good long finish. I’d enjoy it (and I did) in the full flower of youth although it will take a few years of bottle age if you like them a little plumper.  Rated : 92 Points Tasted : Aug08 Alcohol : 12.5% Price : $30 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2008 - 2015 Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

An extraordinary Riesling, close to perfection, and fully capturing the tight mineral texture and mouthfeel possible when low-cropped fruit is harvested from red soils overlying limestone. Deeply scented with pure citrusy fruit and small flowers, with a classy balance between texture, acidity and a suggestion of sweetness, it’s a genuinely dry style that exemplifies what a great international Riesling Clare can produce’ – 98 Points Jeremy Oliver, The Australian Wine Annual

Pale straw-green; the bouquet is filled with fragrance, the palate following suit; I cannot resist enumerating the aromas and flavours claimed on the label: fresh lemon citrus, rosewater, kaffir lime leaves, musk, verbena, jasmine(bouquet), honeydew melon, grapefruit and lemongrass (palate). Well, it's a lovely wine. 95 Points; James Halliday

A little flowery and estery on opening but its main characteristics are explosive fruit power and terrific length. Well stacked flavours of lime and riper tastes like honeydew melon fill the mouth and deceptively soft acids ease their way forward, although given some air, it seemed to tighten up considerably. Noted a light sort of gin and tonic flavour in the aftertaste that was highly appealing. Has clarity, purity and big flavour along with that elusive mineral edge that we all seem to fancy so much. I had it scored at 94 or 95, but given that it’s still resonating with me, decided to take the high road – there’s some wines you just really like. 95 Points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front.

Jim Barry purchased the Lodge Hill vineyard in 1977, as he was sure it would “produce some of the best Riesling in Clare.” Situated on the eastern ranges of the township of Clare, it is one of the highest vineyards in the Valley at an altitude of 480 metres, and is ideal for producing steely, minerally Rieslings, distinctive to the area. Crystal like clarity. Straw colour and green hues. Rich and lifted. Lime Citrus, pink grapefruit and a hint of spice. Supportive of aromas. Zingy natural acid backbone, with flavours of mandarin, white peach and strawberry.

Gold Medal - 2011  Royal Brisbane Wine Show

Jim Barry bought Lodge Hill in 1977, sure its 480m altitude would produce high quality riesling. This wine has a complex bouquet of spice, citrus and apple, the balanced palate even more complex, with its flavour span anchored by citrus but extending into cool-climate chardonnay notes of white peach and grapefruit. Rating: 95 points, $19.95, screwcap, 12.5% alc; Drink to 2025 with vegetarian terrine; James Halliday Top 100 for 2011; The Weekend Australian, November 19

A super fresh-cut salad of citrus - lemons, grapefruit, lime zest; all the great character lines of the variety in spades with a dry, flinty, minerally texture that's just wonderfully refreshing drinking. Put a dozen in the cellar for future aged riesling pleasures; Food: Oysters with salsa; Score: 94 Points; Tony Love; Taste.com.au Top 100 Wines for 2011

In a generally flat riesling market, Peter Barry reports a 40 per cent increase in riesling sales over the last year. He crows, too, about 2011, “as a wonderful vintage in Clare for riesling”. Now we can judge for ourselves in these two rieslings from the Barry family estate – one for the elevated Lodge Hill vineyard near Clare township, the other from the Florita vineyard at Watervale in the valley’s south. The Lodge Hill wine shows lemony varietal flavour, delicacy and length. The Watervale wine seems more minerally with some background lime-like flavours. Both impress for their delicacy and lively acidity – features of this cool vintage. Chris Shanahan

Barry's purchase in 1977 of a picturesque property called Lodge Hill, which occupies one of the highest points in the Clare Valley, was one of his many masterstrokes. There, he established a vineyard for the prime purpose of cementing his growing status as a riesling perfectionist. His judgment has consistently been proven right, and as recently as last week when the delicious lime-apple enriched 2011 The Lodge Hill Dry Riesling ($19), crafted by Jim's son Peter, captured one of the only two gold medals awarded in the riesling class at the Royal Queensland Wine Show. Barry firmly believes the 2011 riesling vintage in Clare will earn a place in the great vintages of the past decade. Having put not only the 2011 The Lodge Hill to the test, but his super 2011 Watervale Riesling ($18) as well, I reckon he's on the money with that assessment. John Fordham; The Sunday Telegraph

One of the most amazing areas for this varietal. The wine is the colour of pale straw, it exudes delightful aromas of grapefruit, lemon and citrus blossom. The palate is delicately structured, with fresh and intense fruit and a long, crisp acid finish. Delicious with a wide variety of foods, including seafood, chicken Caesar, and all warm or cold salads. A wine which exhibits both, true finesse at winecraft, and a quenching gluggability.
 
Situated in the cool uplands of the North Mount Lofty ranges about 50 km north of Adelaide, the vineyards of Jim Barry were established in Clare in 1959. This is a family run winery committed to producing quality wines through an innovative approach to viticulture and winemaking technology.
 
The late Jim Barry was a pioneer of the Australian wine industry. He was the first qualified winemaker to work in the Clare Valley of South Australia and with his wife, Nancy, built a successful wine business which has produced trophy-winning wines since its establishment in 1959. Today, the company is headed by Jim’s second son Peter, who took over from his father as Managing Director.
 
The generations of the Barry family have been making wine in the Clare Valley since 1959, and over the decades have steadily accumulated 250 ha of vineyards, including the legendary Florita Vineyard. Wild yeast can produce complexity, but what if 10 distinctly different yeasts were used in the 10 separate parcels that made up this wine? The suggestion of ginger is hard to deny once planted in the mind; lime/citrus a no-brainer. Nonetheless, it is the palate that provides much of the intensity and drive of this classic long-lived Watervale wine. Drink: to 2022; 94 Points; James Halliday

It has some bubble gum-like aromas but it’s all class from there. Indeed it’s a scintillating wine. Drives of lime, sherbet, talc and slate. Piercing length. Smoky/gunmetal-like aftertaste. Tremendous finish – for persistence and finesse. Rated : 94 Points; The Wine Front.

In a generally flat riesling market, Peter Barry reports a 40 per cent increase in riesling sales over the last year. He crows, too, about 2011, “as a wonderful vintage in Clare for riesling”. Now we can judge for ourselves in these two rieslings from the Barry family estate – one for the elevated Lodge Hill vineyard near Clare township, the other from the Florita vineyard at Watervale in the valley’s south. The Lodge Hill wine shows lemony varietal flavour, delicacy and length. The Watervale wine seems more minerally with some background lime-like flavours. Both impress for their delicacy and lively acidity – features of this cool vintage. Chris Shanahan 2011; The Canberra Times

Elegant, intense, direct throwback to the Vickery spatlese wines of the early 1970s; sweet pure lime juice offset by perfectly balanced acidity; great length and certain to age over 20 years. Drinking: 2028; Rating:95 Points; James Halliday; Australian Wine Companion

We have stood in line with empty glasses for years awaiting the release of an Aussie wine in this style.We were excited last year to introduce you to Leasingham’s first Kabinett Style Riesling – but it was only available at this illustrious estate’s cellar door. This is a sensational style with apple and pear fruit and layers of sweet spices. We hate the term “medium sweet” because it’s neither particularly medium nor sweet. What it is, though, is extremely juicy in a crushed white grape sense. This is the perfect thing with creamy white cheeses, Thai curries involving coconut milk, tempura vegetables with sweet chilli dipping sauce, meat-based pâtés and terrines. Mmmm. Matthew Jukes & Tyson Stelzer; Taste Food and Wine Guide

There are two movements in Australian wine at the moment: the move to ever-drier styles, and the fall to sweetness. The fall to sweetness was a surreptitious movement for many years but over the past 3-5 years it’s become ever-more obvious, even confident. Nowhere is this movement more dramatic than with riesling, where off-dry and brazenly sweet styles are suddenly everywhere. Off-dry and sweet Australian table riesling is no longer quirky or different or new; it is commonplace. The latest of these everything-old-is-new sweet rieslings comes from Leasingham. It is labelled clearly as “medium sweet”. It tastes grapey and yet steely, bracingly acidic and yet soft. It has a long, minerally, rind-bitten aftertaste and while the mid-palate and finish don’t yet quite mesh, a few extra months in bottle may well fix that. I suspect that the quality of the grapes that went into this wine were pretty handy. Rated : 90 Points Alcohol : 10.0% Price : $23 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2008 - 2013; By Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

A fabulous Riesling made in the Germanic style with a taste of residual sweetness perfect for spicy Asian dishes. Lime candy dances with lemongrass. Price: $23; Quality 4.25 (5.00) Drew Lambert Wine

(Clare Valley) $23; 10%; This clocks in as medium sweet on the riesling scale printed on the label. These styles can be a bit cloying if the balance between sugar and acid isn’t right but this gets it spot on. It smells of lime, lemon, orange blossom and quince, with underlying passionfruit notes. It has intense, sweet lime cordial flavours that are matched on the palate by racy acidity and a fine texture. The lime flavour carries on to the persistent finish. Food match \ Chicken with chili and lemongrass. 4 Stars * * * * Ben Thomas; The Weekly Review

Bright straw green in colour. The 2010 Riesling shows concentrated freshly cut limes, jasmine and subtle sweet spice on the nose. The palate displays ripe grapefruit, lime and musk flavours, the wine is held together by a core of natural grape acidity which is crisp and refreshing with strong lime intensity on the finish.

Leeuwin Estate's 2010 Riesling is outstanding. It's starts with a hint of citrus zest, fresh lime and lemon yet it comes alive with spice notes and soft slate-like natural acidity. There's nothing harsh; it’s super precise yet has an almost restrained style with a long, dry finish. Great aperitif but also a fine partner to pork rillettes. Jane Faulkner, The Age, May 2011

Pale green. An exceptional year in Clare which has produced more florals instead of the typical citrus notes. There is citrus blossom, spring flowers and grated lemon zest. The palate is intense with excellent fruit intensity. There's attractive lemon/lime splice notes with a distinct 'pretty' floral edge. A mineral core of natural acidity gives flavour and length to this wonderful example of classic Clare Riesling.

Since the purchase of Chateau Leonay in 1945, Leo Buring has built an unparalleled reputation for quality Riesling production in both the Clare and Eden Valleys. Riesling expresses the nature of its growing conditions like no other varietal, earning its nickname as 'the naked grape'. The combination of climate, soil, aspect and location all add up to create discernibly different characters in Rieslings from each region.

Leo Buring traditionally produces Riesling from the Clare Valley and the Eden Valley. These wines share similar attributes, a clean fresh flavour and the ability to age, but possess their own individual characters.

Since the purchase of Chateau Leonay in 1945, Leo Buring has built an unparalleled reputation for quality Riesling production in both the Clare and Eden valleys. Every year, the grapes that possess the ideal balance of flavour and natural acidity are selected from either the Clare or Eden Valley. The fruit is then hand picked, and carefully vinified to prevent oxidisation, and to preserve the clean fruit flavours. This year it is Eden Valley fruit that has been selected for the 2010 release of the flagship wine, Leonay
 
Pure and pale, with a lime green hue. Gorgeous florals of elegant, sweet frangipani, freshly squeezed lime juice, lemon tart and hints of musk and custard apple. Beguiling and complex. Lemon/lime juice carries through on the palate. There's an amazing mouth watering chalky acidity and linear delivery that gives the palate a burst of flavour with astounding length. Structurally perfect!
 
Smoky, savoury and austere, despite the residual sweetness that is perfectly balanced by tangy, savoury acids. It's wild, perfumed and heady, revealing an alluring, exuberant bouquet of stonefruit, citrus and tropical fruits lifted by intense floral notes and nuances of fragrant dried herbs. Long and chalky, its smoky and reductive in a European style, with funky undertones beneath its remarkable length of pear, pear, apple and apricot flavour. 96 Points; Drink: 2016-2020+; Jeremy Oliver
 
From a stunner of a vintage and now perfectly poised for a long future, this is all class, focused, and genuinely driven from start to finish with captivating line and length, its fantastic mouth feel lingering with minerals and slatey interest. Buy a few and let them mature for a decade. 95 Points; Tony Love, National Wine Writer, Taste.com.au; Top 100 Wines for 2012.

Bright green-straw; a fine, crisp and very well constructed wine, lemon and lime wrapped around a minerally core, the finish juicy yet delicate. Now or whenever. Eden Valley. 94 Points; Drink by: 2020; Date tasted: 24/Jan/2011; Price: $34.00; Alcohol: 12.5% ; James Halliday Wine Companion 2012