An instantly aromatic wine — one of those that fills its immediate vicinity with smells a few seconds after being poured. There are flowers and citrus zest and all manner of high toned things. Once this aspect of the wine settles, though, nascent bottle aged characters emerge and it is these that form the backbone of the wine’s aroma. Although just beginning its journey, this wine seems to be approaching maturity with determined elegance. There’s no disjointedness to the aroma. Rather, a layer of intense citrus fruit dovetails neatly into hints of toast and beeswax. It’s all quite seamless, surprisingly so for a wine that isn’t yet released to the market. I hesitate a little here because there’s also a slightly blunt character to the aroma profile, a lack of light and shade that, I hope, will appear with more time in bottle.
Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling 2004
An explosion of intensity on the palate. I love Rieslings like this — they sneak up on you and smack your palate with intense fruit flavour and you know all you’re tasting is pure, terroir-driven fruit. Cool and sharp on entry, there’s plenty of acidity and structure without in any way overwhelming the fruit. This means flavour registers quite early on the tongue, straight away really, and zips down a straight line to the middle palate. There’s lime juice and fine honey and the most shapely cut of minerality one might wish for in an Eden Valley Riesling. Very impressive. Everything seems in its place and the flavour profile shows good detail. A lovely waxy mouthfeel accompanies more citrus on the after palate, and this smooth sophistication carries the wine through to an impressively long finish.
Sure, it’s still a young wine, and its best days are certainly ahead of it, but it’s bloody enjoyable now too. One to buy in multiples and sample every couple of years. A beautiful dry Aussie Riesling.
Sounds lovely. Will keep my eye out for its release. If its around usual price tag will definítely have a think about multiples. Cheers j
It’s a good one — intense and at the same time very balanced, so the overall effect is elegant. Love Riesling 🙂