Riesling is one of the wine world’s hidden gems. It is no different in New Zealand – I’m delighted to say that we had a good representation from across the regions, and a good quantity of samples to try. I always say it is a hard decision to choose just our Top 10, but this time it felt really cruel to be leaving the last few wines that came in places 11 to 15 off the Top 10 list – the standard across the session was very high.
You have to consider the wide range of styles that are made from this varietal. Arguably a ‘dry’ style has to work just a little harder than a ‘medium’ version – with the added sweetness making the wines more palatable, and easier to love. A very austere bone-dry expression will often blossom in time – turning into a gorgeous 10-year old bottle – but might be a tougher ask on release – compared to a version with 20-30 grams of residual sugar to round out the edges and balance the acidity. We humans love sugar, and that softening tone of sugar is hard to ignore.
As such, across this tasting, we were looking at wines that ranged from bone dry expressions, to ones that were in the ‘noble’ or ‘Auslese’ styles – with many more grams of residual sugar per litre. How any of those wines kept a balance was – to my mind – key. Rule no. 1 at WineFolio is “delicious”. And whether any wine is dry, medium or sweet – that is what we are on the search for.
Looking at the Top 10 results, four of the top six wines came from the Marlborough region. Last time Winefolio hosted this tasting it was Central Otago that showed best. Unfortunately a few wines that featured in 2022 were either unavailable, or not put forward as samples this time – which might account for the shift in balance. Alongside Central, wines from Waitaki in North Otago, Marlborough, Nelson and North Canterbury rounded out the Top 10 Tasting – making it a clean sweep for South Island this time. Apologies to the producers who supplied excellent wines that just missed our Top 10, by fractions, from all our regions.
On to the wines…
Simon Waghorn — the winemaker of Astrolabe’s winning bottle had this to say about it…
“The Farm is my own vineyard, situated in Grovetown, in the lower Wairau Valley. The vines at The Farm are some of our oldest. We dry farm and are organic certified. The old vines in the riesling block are a mix of three different clones. Nowadays, riesling is not so widely planted in Marlborough, but it is perhaps one of the varieties best suited to Marlborough’s cool climate.
A mixture of hand-picked and machine-harvested grapes were fermented with light solids to produce an aromatic, dry wine with attractive citrus and floral flavours. Only the free-run juice was used to preserve fruit clarity and a tight acid structure. I think riesling presents one of the best cellaring wines of all, especially in the screwcap closure, and I expect this wine to age gracefully for many years”.
This is what we thought…
1. Astrolabe ‘The Farm’ Riesling 2020 From the edge of the Top 10 in 2022, to top spot this time. Crisp perfume with bags of citrus, but also honey, pear, green herbs, nectarine and rose petal. Subtle and wispy, with a lightness of touch as it flits across the palate. A dry style, but feels generous and juicy – possibly due to the saline acidity that is flinty and salivating. Wines that ‘change’ as you savour them are hard to meet, and worth savouring when you do. This one takes you on a journey through every sip – complex, layered and enigmatic. A worthy winner.
2. Framingham F-series Old Vine Riesling 2023 Crafted from 43-year old vines in Marlborough. A dry style, with a perfume of lime leaf, grapefruit peel, apple, bay, mandarin and sandy terracotta. There is sweetness, but you hardly notice amongst the agile balance on the palate. It is very clean and precise, but with an amazing level of complexity. Vivid, energetic and youthful – a core line of quartzy acid running directly through the middle. The finish has a texture of talc, and tight is as a drum.
3. Valli Waitaki Vineyard Riesling 2023 Zesty lime, lemon curd and satsuma tick the citrus boxes, followed by jalapeno, crushed herbs, guava and pineapple. Showing a medium-dry edge with some fruit sweetness, but with every fruit flavour and the acidity well-integrated in harmony. Acid drives the palate so it is never static, and that line allows the texture of chalk to sneak up and swaddle the back of the palate – adding to a much drier and stony finish.
4. Neudorf ‘Rosie’s Block’ Dry Riesling 2023 The wines in our Top 10 share a quality of balance, and this is no exception. The citrus notes here start with orange oil, then lemon verbena and lime cordial, with some pithy grapefruit peel added on. A touch of stonefruit, then pepper and summer herbs add seasoning. A dry style, where “the stony minerals sit centrally” according to our notes… the ripe fruit bleeding around it. Quite youthful and tight, but enjoyable drinking immediately (and the pleasure of ageing to come if cellared). Seamless and well-crafted.
5. Framingham F-series Auslese Riesling 2024 A nose that has lemon curd, rose petals, apricot, baked apple and tar leads to a palate that is sweet, ripe and juicy. Despite the obvious depth here, there is also a lightness and balance. “Fruit peel, marigold, liquorice and honeycomb” also feature in the judging notes. Acidity is keen – contrasting with the unctuous entry, and a lovely prickle of phenolic attacks the back of the palate. Finishes dry, creamy and with tremendous persistence of flavour.
6. Forrest Riesling 2020 Tremendous varietal character to the bouquet – no doubt that this is Riesling. Lime cordial, lemongrass, dried apple, matcha, basil and chamomile on the nose, with much of that flavour translating into the dry, fresh palate. A bright, ozone-like vibrancy and minerality underpins the pop of fruit – which gradually turns more tropical and richer. Acidity is well-judged, and the finish is juicy and long.
7. Pegasus Bay Riesling 2024 A return to our Top 10 for this wine from North Canterbury – in 2022 the 2019 vintage featured at number 4. Bold aromatics burst from the glass. Citrus, melon, apple, lemon sherbert, peach and honeysuckle florals. Rich, with a velvet-meets-waxy texture apparent on first sip. A spritz on the tongue sparks lively waves of complex flavours. Quite spicy, with the fruit ripeness matched to a crisp acid line.
8. Mondillo Riesling 2024 Another one of four Rieslings that also featured in my list from three years ago. An excellent producer – Mondillo wines often have at least one unique identifier, and here it is a note of candy floss. Very floral, with citrus, quince, pear and jasmine on the nose. A touch of fruit tannin, like red apple skin, appears, adding more character to “a wine with great personality”. A good all-rounder, with plenty of juice and well-matched acidity to go with its other features (as listed).
9. St Clair Pioneer Block 9 ‘Big John’ Riesling 2023 From the Wairau Valley in Marlborough and named after its six-foot-ten-inch vineyard owner John Walsh, who is known in viticultural circles as ‘Big John’. This wine has a big personality to match – perfumed with a mixture of zesty citrus and is quite floral on the nose. It has a lush 37 g/L of residual sugar. Ripe fruit meets fresh acidity to produce a generous and mouth-filling result – with only 9% alcohol. A “smile on the dial” according to the comments.
10. Bladen 8 Rows Riesling 2024 A current Trophy-holding wine – having won the Riesling class at the NZIWS that I missed whilst travelling in Europe last year. Scented with green apple, preserved lemon, lime zest, ginger and some bright tropical florals. Great length through the palate, with plenty of tension and pithy acidity allowing the fresh fruit flavours to bloom. A punchy, bounding bundle of energy.
