For John Hughes, the attraction to Riesling is all encompassing. Growing up on a small vineyard in the Clare Valley, and going on to work with some of the brightest Riesling makers in the country before launching his own venture, John is never far away from his beloved grape. John makes classic Australian styles from carefully selected vineyards with an emphasis on purity and site reflection, as well as German-inspired expressions that balance acidity and sugar with singular precision.

Following on from the German Kabinett style, this wine is low in alcohol with a finely-tuned balance of succulent residual sweetness and tangy natural acidity.

Pale, water-white appearance; lifted jasmine-like scented aromas, lots of tropical flowers, passionfruit too, the sweetness lifting the fruit, and the early-harvested effect giving a different spectrum of fruit aromas, not unripe but greener, more heightened. Very high acidity, the sweetness beautifully judged to balance the acidity, which you really don't feel. An extraordinary wine that is beautiful now and will only be more so in the future. (Grapes harvested at 9.4 degrees Baumé. 38 grams/litre residual sugar, 10.2 g/l acidity) Date: Oct 2023; Alcohol: 8%; Price: $37.00; Drink: 2024-2038; Rating: 97 Points; Huon Hooke; The Real Review

Ultra-pale, almost water-white in the glass. Night jasmine, mango and oyster shell aromatics. The palate pops immediately with an intense blast of both tight citrus and exotic tropical fruits. Salty minerality vies with floral notes and it all builds power and intensity as it rolls along. Acidity is there throughout to match the sweetness and it all stays in remarkable harmony. Medium-sweet but still so very well balanced. A fantastic wine that demands respect. I can only begin to imagine how beautifully this will age. Date: Nov 2023; Alcohol: 8%; Price: $37.00; Drink: 2023-2043; Rating: 98 Points; Stuart Knox; The Real Review