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95-to-98 point Australian Rieslings - April 2018
The April 2018 edition of Decanter (www.decanter.com) featured a panel review of Australian Riesling - from across Australia's cooler regions - drawn from all of Tasmania, South Australia (especially the Clare and Eden Valleys), Western Australia, NSW and Victoria.
There were 2 Exceptionals (98+), 14 Outstandings (95+) and 66 Highly Recommendeds (90+). The first two categories average just £17 a bottle.
Let us tell you more.
Of those two Exceptionals (a rare accolade indeed), one remains firmly unavailable in the UK.
The other one - the Pauletts Polish Hill River Riesling 2014 - could be sourced, as we had it ... but we have now well-and-truly (really, we really have) sold out of our allocation of both this and its older, highly-rated sister (the 96-point 2010 Aged Release version).
But... we have taken stock of the "current" 2017 'standard' and 2012 Aged Release versions - and both are quite excellent. We understand a strong instinct among customers to plump only for the rated vintages; however, we do recommend the information on vintage quality that we've included on the 2017 vintage's product page. Wine Enthusiast rate the 2017 Clare valley vintage as a 97-point year, and 2012 as a 93; high scores indeed. The 2017 vintage is rapidly becoming recognised as the best Clare Valley Riesling vintage for some 20 years.
We've tasted (quite extensively) all 4 of the Pauletts wines, and, frankly, they are hard to pick apart, aside from the gathering age effect. The 2012 is a particularly fine choice for Riesling 'petrolheads'!
Pauletts Polish Hill River Riesling 2017
Pauletts Aged Release Polish Hill River Riesling 2012
The 4 remaining Outstandings are quite excellent (I personally rate the Lehmann Wigan as the pick of the whole review, but then I go mad for the whole 'petrol thing') and will make up an excellent Riesling case:
- There was the 96-point Peter Lehmann Wigan 2012 (again, with all the age development flavours from 6 years in the bottle); <the 2013 is now current vintage>
Peter Lehmann Masters 'Wigan' 2013
- And then the 95-point and celebrated (but a-bit-more-pricey) Grosset Polish Hill 2017 (£30.60); alas the 2017 has all gone, and 2018 is now the current vintage:
Grosset Polish Hill Clare Valley Riesling 2018
- ...and that's not to mention the tremendous value of the 95-point Peter Lehmann Hill & Valley Eden Valley Riesling 2015 at a great £13.70 (recently switched to the 2018) ...
- and the off-piste 95-point Larry Cherubino Laissez Faire Riesling 2015 (from unusual Porungorup in Western Australia) at £18.60 - again, the 2015 is now all depleted and we're onto the 2018.
The entire field (that we stock) from this panel tasting - or their available-vintage equivalents - along with their reviews from Decanter - can be seen and bought below.
