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95-to-98 point Australian Rieslings - April 2018
** THIS ARTICLE APPEARS FOR HISTORICAL AND GENERAL INTEREST, RATHER THAN TO OFFER THE VINTAGES THAT WERE REVIEWED (WHICH HAVE NOW ALL BEEN DEPLETED). NONETHELESS, THE ARTICLE ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE SUBSEQUENT VINTAGES OF THOSE WINES, SOME/MANY OF WHICH WE STILL STOCK! **
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.
