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It’s always interesting doing the Buring Clare and Eden twins at the same time, and I’ll be doing the same with Leonay this vintage too as for the first time in over a decade there’s a release from each region. Generally I’m an Eden man but this vintage I ummmed and ahhhed a bit - initially being very taken with Eden, then liking the Clare, and then finally back to giving Eden the nod.

It’s pretty and perfumed with rose oil and fennel on top of fresh lime and mineral. Juicy, fresh and fine boned with excellent pure (but very strong) acidity and a lengthy lime juice finish. It’s a racy style and needs a bit more time in bottle to show its best.

Other vintages : 2007, 2005

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I find it a bit hard to get into the swing of tasting (young) Rieslings in winter, but there you go. The press release for these Leo Buring Rieslings emphatically states that the wines have all natural acidity and that the fruit came off the vines before the furnace was fired up for 2008.

It smells of bath salts and white lillies, citrus zest and fresh lemon and the palate is tight and highly acidic, bone dry and flinty with squeezed lemon and lime juice and a long tart, but juicy finish. It’s a very good, if not rather austere Leo Buring Clare - I might even be under-rating it. Regardless, drink next summer and over the next couple of years, or pop it in the cellar and drink 2013 onwards.

Other vintages : 2007, 2005, 2003, 1999

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A new Schist on the block and pretty handy wine too.

It smells of cut apple, faint citrus, some mineral and bit of honeysuckle. On the palate it lacks real Eden finesse and focus but has good flavour. It tastes of apple, a bit of citrus and again that minerality but it’s pretty much soft and easy going with some attractive textural grip to compensate. In short, it’s good to drink young with a low risk of ‘weaned on dill pickle face’ syndrome cropping up during those vital social engagements… . It’s obviously a warm year wine and I’d say a good drinking dry white first and foremost rather than a racy Riesling, but none the worse for that.

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I like it better than the 2005, but not as much as the yet to be released 2007 - which it must be said is an absolute ripper.

It’s has the usual Steingarten finesse with lime, baked apples, cinnamon spice and a wet slate/mineral aspect - fresh and clean but juicy too. In the mouth intense and slatey with strong lime fruit and crystalline acidity - it’s dry but also feels wet and refreshing with a long lemon/lime and spice finish. Showed no signs of tiring over four days in the fridge. A great Eden Valley Riesling.

Other vintages : 2005, 2003

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2008 already. Seem to have missed tasting the 2007 somewhere along the way but never mind.

Very pretty and scented to smell with roses, talc, citrus and apple. On the palate soft and fresh with beautiful (seemingly) natural acidity and gentle flavours of flowers, apple and citrus. It’s delicate, light and charming with a touch of slatey mineral grip and a good long lemon barley flavoured finish. I’d could knock a bottle of this off on my own no worries.

Other vintages : 2006

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Well well, this is an exciting and alternative style of Riesling and I must say I like the cut of its jib. Aged on lees in big wood (as Missy Elliot might well like) which gives it some excellent textural qualities. I tasted it next to an 06 Steingarten and while it’s maybe not chalk and cheese, it could well be considered a case of apples and limes, such different styles they be.

Fragrant and perfumed with apple pie (replete with crust and spice), passionfruit and white flowers. On the palate a softer, more textural Riesling, offering a chalky dryness with a slight creaminess and flavours of baking apple, spice, passionfruit and flint. The acidity is balanced and clean and it finishes dry with a lingering apple pie richness. Beautiful wine.

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If you happen to have a child born in 2007 (as I do) then I’d suggest this may well be one of the better local bets to snap open at a 21st. The little buggers probably won’t appreciate a twenty one year old Clare Riesling mind you, so I’d suggest you drink this quietly in the corner as a warm up, before tucking into a bevy of Hunter and Margaret River reds of the same vintage. I had this open in the fridge for, I think, about 5 days and it hardly budged at all.

It’s clean, pristine and precise with lemon, grapefruit and mineral flavours on a fine boned flint-edged palate. Tight, refined and ultra-dry it’s beautifully balanced and very long but not for drinking now unless you are an acid freak. A great wine where patience should be richly rewarded.

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I’d say the packaging of these wines really detracts from what’s inside the bottle, which so far has been really pretty good. Then again I’m not in marketing, or more specifically targeting a specific market, although I guess delivering a good product is ultimately what’s most important. This is made by Neil Pike from fruit coming out of the Sevenhill sub-region of the Clare Valley.

Sweet fresh limes, a little toasty development, herbs and mineral make for a very attractive smelling wine. It offers juicy limes, toast and mineral flavours with a good clean acid cut that’s also not without a certain approachable-drink-me-now-and-quickly softness and sweetness. Fine balance and flow throughout closing with a long sweet limey finish. Very tasty and probably at it’s best right now.

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I thought I’d give the old Panzer Juice a bit of rest for a while and taste a few more dry Australian Rieslings, although the Tasmanians are a bit closer to the German style than those from the mainland I suppose.

It’s fresh and floral with green apple, lime and at this youthful stage a bit of chest tightening free sulphur. On the palate clean and refreshing with citrus and green apple fruit and a pretty flowery mouth perfume. It has a dry flinty texture with acidity and fruit power striking a fine balance - not too heavy, not too light. Excellent tangy green apple finish too. I like it centurion. I like it.

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A Mosel this time and doesn’t that word have some pretty negative connotations in Australia. I think of four litre casks of “Mosel” style wines made from goodness knows what grapes. Time to move on and get with the times.

It’s very fruity and leaps out of the glass (perhaps even wearing orange tights) brandishing apples, sweet citrus, spice and mango. On the palate an explosion of fruit flavour with juicy apple, tangerine, mango sorbet and florals - a riot of sweet fruit cut with sparkling tangy acidity. It looks to have a fair amount of residual sugar but pulls up clean and flinty with some lingering sweet lime and apple flavours to close. It’s balanced, refreshing and would work really well with spicier Asian food.

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The Barons Langwerth von Simmerns’ history in the Rheingau dates back to 1464. This makes them the oldest continuously operated family business in the world. Their estate commands 26 acres of some of the best vineyards in the Rheingau, which are now run by the Baron George and his wife Baroness Andrea Langwerth von Simmern.

If you open it young you’ll be greeted by a bit of free sulphur (nothing too daunting mind you) but then comes the reward - an explosion of citrus, white peach, mineral and spice. It’s racy and spritzy on the palate with tingling sherbetty flavours of tangerine, lime, lemon and passionfruit sorbet and fairly bursts through the mouth. It has strong acidity to balance the juicy fruit and finishes very long with a tangy acid bite on exit. It’s a powerhouse of Riesling purity - a brilliant Kabinett.

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Dry Riesling UNPLUGGED is what one might call a naturally made wine. True craftsmanship is called for. Everything is done by hand. Great value is placed on environmental-friendly viticulture. The wine is not treated in any way – no must concentration, no chaptalisation. It is left to ferment for as long as necessary and when fermentation stops, it stops. The process is not interfered with in any way – no blending, no sweetening. The wine simply becomes what it is destined to be.

This is the first of a few Germans I have in a box. The importer is Hoddles Creek Estate.

Juicy and flowery with an intense mix of citrus fruits (lemon/lime/cumquat) even hinting at some mango richness and a spicy mineral/petrol aspect. On the palate layers of flavour with rich citrus, apple, spice and mineral - lovely sweet fruit. It’s pretty much dry but will taste distinctly off-dry to those used to our bone dry Australian styles. Intense crunchy acidity and a good long minerally finish complete the picture. It’s a top wine and top value too. A must for Riesling fanciers.

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So many wines to review and so little time. At least this was an easy one… words just fell onto the page.

A bright nose, lemony sherbet and limes, with a hint of stonefruit richness. The palate is crisp and acidic (but not searing like some Rieslings can be), and not just the usual lime/lemon combination, with some bigger stonefruit richness like peaches. Texturally pleasing, and it actually tastes like it has some residual sugar, not that that is a bad thing, but it gives the mouthfeel a certain roundedness. An excellent Riesling and $18 by the dozen from the cellar door. Bargain.

Other vintages: 2007

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Prima puts me in mind of those little boxes of fruit juice that I used to take to school as a kiddy. Popper was the other one, which is also the sound that the highly fetching glass stopper makes when it comes out of this fruity beauty. This is the inaugural vintage of an early picked off-dry (22g residual sugar) style, and while according to at least one retailer, this resurgence of sweeter style Riesling could be confusing to all those people who are now just learning to trust their assurances that Riesling is dry, I say bugger them. And anyway, it gives the lazy idle shiftless wine sniffing pigs something useful to do…

Flowery and mineral at once with lime, mango and a little spice. On the palate an intense burst of sweet lime, mango and lemon pith that is snapped back into focus by crisp dry flinty acidity. The balance is perfect and the combination of sweet, dry and sour is both highly refreshing and almost irresistible. It’s off-dry really, or seems that way, the sweetness in no way obvious or sickly and the finish clean, dry and very long. A.W.E.S.O.M.-O!

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I like to review Rieslings but when you are feeling a bit short on verbiage they can be slightly tricky. The long bottles take up a fair bit of space and I can’t have a messy looking review. The 2007 vintage is seen by many to be equally tricky, and while the wines may be fairly short term propositions generally, I think they have a distinctive and appealing quality. More so than either the 2004 or 2006 vintages which I found to be a little El Blando…

It’s flowery and packed with assorted citrus fruits and spice with an intense palate offering lime, grapefruit and apple flavours. On the palate dry and minerally with squeaky acidity and a lightly chalky texture closing with a good long tangy citrus finish. It offers an abundance of Riesling flavour, delivered with precision and grace. A very convincing wine.

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This is the last of the current release wines from Mac Forbes that were sent in for review and as a testament to their quality, I reviewed the lot (opps..I just realised..all except for the 06 Woori Chardonnay which is waiting in the wings). Every egg a bird. This is from the Strathbogie Ranges (which always puts me in mind of Derek and Clive..except that was Winston’s, not Strath’s) with the RS standing for Residual Sugar. Not so sure how it will age but I reckon it has all the bits in place.

Perfumed and spicy with green apple and lemon aromas. On the palate an invigorating mix of sweet, dry and tart flavours with sour green apple, lemon sherbet and spice. It has very strong acidity balanced and softened by sweetness and an excellent long minerally finish with a lovely dry grippy tweak at the end. Ooh err that was nice. Clever stuff and nice to see a few local alternatives to the traditional Australian dry style.

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I was wondering whether I would review this or not, given time constraints and all, but decided I would in the end. So much to like, and the points were high, but they fell away as quickly as this wine does after hitting the front palate.

Flowery, spicy and full of fresh lime with a little petrolly development poking through. On the palate dry, tight and flinty with a mix of citrus fruit, spice and a little dried herb. Fine mouthwatering acid but the line is broken abruptly after the wine hits the front palate. It creeps back again with a dry spicy aftertaste. It’s a good drink and showed no sign of tiring over three days. Ever the optimist I’ll plop on a + sign in the hope that the palate will lengthen with some bottle age.

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I quite like a bit of Coonawarra Riesling and have a few lined up for tasting. I like that rich toasty Schweppes lime cordial flavour they develop with a some bottle age. This is still available from cellar door, along with the 2006 vintage.

It smells of ripe lime, apple and spice with some petrolly development showing although it still has some pretty floral notes too. On the palate slightly off dry with rich lime, spice and some toast and petrol coming through. It has plenty of power and flavour with a good clean minerally acid cut and finishes long and dry. It has enough weight to be paired up with richer foods and very enjoyable it is too.

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I’ve been sitting on this sample for a while - time to write a review…

Lots of pretty florals, a certain delicacy, with lemon, sherbet, and dryness. The palate is tight and quite austere, with lemon and slate, sour fruits, finishing with an acid twang and dryness. This said, it does show a lovely purity of fruit and some good intensity, but it certainly is a style that needs some food. Drink now and over the next few years.

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Situated on Flaxmans Valley Rd high on top of the Barossa ranges at the very start of the Eden valley. In amongst many famous vineyards is Colin & Fiona Sheppards 7 acre property comprising 45+ year old Riesling, 45+ year old Semillon & 55+year old Shiraz.

I’d not heard of this winery before, and it’s a good story, but best you read it on their website to save me a bit of typing. I’m feeling lazy. 110 cases made.

Nice and fragrant with classic blossom, lime, apple and minerally aromas. On the palate it is fine and soft with excellent flavour and great purity offering a mix of citrus, apple and spice. It has gentle clean acidity and feels slightly slippery although roughed up just a little by some attractive pithy characters. Jumps up and waves goodbye on the long clean dry finish. Absolute magic to drink now.

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