As the warmer months of Spring approach, what better way to welcome them in than with a comprehensive (and refreshing) Riesling journey, exploring Australia, France, and Germany! Through Canberra and Clare Valley, to a special drop from Alsace, and over to one of the great beacons of the German Pfalz region, we're excited to have these whites, both dry and sweet, on pour this Saturday (27th) from 11am through to 1pm - we look forward to seeing what you all think!
Additionally, we are holding a tasting this Friday (26th) evening from 5pm to 6:30 with the great wines of Langmeil, hosted by global brand ambassador and all-around good guy Leigh Woodrow. We'll be showing some of the winery's most special, revered reds; these will include -
Prime Cut Shiraz - $17.50 special ; $20 RRP
Massimo Montepulciano Primitivo - $24 special ; $28 RRP
Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon - $29 special ; $34 RRP
The Fifth Wave Grenache - $47 special ; $54 RRP
Orphan Bank Shiraz - $63 special ; $73 RRP
Pure Eden Shiraz - $145 special ; $169 RRP
It'll be a great couple of days in the shop, so be sure to come join us Friday and Saturday!
2022 Ravensworth Riesling - $28 per bottle ; $32 RRP
"Citrus again, white peach, grapefruit with hints of anise spice and flowers, more generous than the last few years but still the thrilling acidity and green apple crunch. At this stage it’s a terrific aperitif, those zesty flavours will go down well with lightly cooked or raw seafoods like scallop or kingfish tartare. You will find the food needs to have a fair whack of acid too so lemon or lime dressings are fab. Oysters, grilled until they just open and then stunned with a splash of a rice wine, ginger and spring onion vinaigrette would be something worthy of this young wine. Certified vegan" – Winemaker
2022 Adelina Ruchioch Riesling - $29 per bottle ; $33 RRP
"This is the third release of Ruchioch and the second to carry the name of the vineyard. While the vine age, elevation and soil profiles are all similar to Col’s Polish Hill River source, Ruchioch is a very low-cropping site. It produces a Riesling that stands out from its Polish Hill River peers with amplified flavour, pulpy mid-palate concentration and tongue-wrapping texture. Then there’s the flavour spectrum that can dip into tropical territory, all the while remaining taut and refined. The aromas are delicate yet complex—we’re in white flower, wild fern and fennel seed territory here. The palate has balletic poise; it’s elegant and fine yet floods the mouth with chalky texture and steely energy. Expect notes of citrus blossom, lemon sherbet and white flowers, with a twist of juicy phenolics on the stony aftertaste. A stunner of a Clare Riesling and it’s only getting started." – Winemaker
2020 Müller-Catoir MC - $39 per bottle ; $46 RRP
// ORGANIC
"Few German estates produce an entry-level Riesling of this depth and structure. It is made entirely from hand-harvested, estate-grown Riesling, cropped at an incredibly low 35 hl/ha to mitigate its younger-vine origins. The source vineyards are all on the sandstone slopes of the Haardt hills, Mussbach, Gimmeldingen and Haardt itself. The nose is a swirling cloud of floral and citrus aromatics, while the palate is the epitome of silky, stone-fruited fleshiness alongside a wealth of mouth-watering citrus and flashes of red apple skin. It’s invigorating and dialled-up, with a nip of Catoir phenolics, pithy weight and a savoury, mineral edge making this the perfect appetizer to the rippling brilliance of this estate’s 2020s." - Importer's Notes
“Instantly appealing, sliced-pear and white-peach aromas with floral and mandarin notes. This medium-bodied dry riesling is so charming and lively, but also has very good depth and balance at the finish.” - 92 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
2020 Müller-Catoir Bürgergarten Riesling - $78 per bottle ; $89 RRP
// ORGANIC
"His terrific Riesling comes from the renowned Bürgergarten vineyard on the lower slopes of the Haardt Mountains. It’s a site rated as Grosses Gewächs (or Grand Cru) and was first planted over 700 years ago, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Pfalz. When a vineyard survives this long, it usually tells you something. The topsoil of Bürgergarten is sandy and deep, with yellow sandstone bedrock below. It’s a soil that brings power, perfume and intense mineral freshness. A potent Riesling marked by dense, compact fruit and phenolic tension, with a crest of beautiful crystalline acidity driving the wine to a striking finish. It radiates with the generosity of the vintage, cut through with stunning clarity: a GG in all but name." - Importer's Notes
“Deep stone-fruit and citrus aromas with some blossom notes. Stunning balance of ripe yet finely nuanced fruit and elegant acidity that then tightens to a long and pointed mineral finish that takes your breath away.” - 95 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
2020 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Cuvée Theo - $83 per bottle ; $95 RRP
"Cuvée Théo Riesling comes exclusively from the monopole Le Clos des Capucins (which takes its name from the Capuchin friars who arrived here in 1619), at the base of the celebrated Schlossberg hill. The Clos is well protected from winds by the surrounding hills and by the walls enclosing it. The soils consist of sand, alluvial pebbles and granitic gravel. Here the low-cropping vines typically offer up a supple and pithy Riesling that’s beautifully accessible young—a reflection of these sandy soils. As per all Weinbach Rieslings, this was whole-cluster pressed, fermented without any yeast additions and matured in very old oak casks for 10 months." - Importer's Notes
“Exotic, rich, pungent nose with truly exciting fruit. Crunchy sensation and really deep flavours. Passion fruit flavours and creamy texture. Electric impact and no shortage of ripe fruit but a long, bone-dry finish. Great stuff.” - 17 / 20 Points, Jancis Robinson
2020 Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg GG Trocken Riesling - $145 per bottle ; $165 RRP
“The 2020 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken GG opens deep, pure, refined but also very intense and complex on the highly attractive nose that is full, generous and aromatic and reveals more oak aromas than the premiers crus Klosterberg and Turmberg. On the palate, this is a very elegant, refined and balanced Riesling with a sweeter or rounder taste than the Turmberg (although it's analytically less sweet), but it reveals a similar saline vibrancy. The richer and rounder sensation might be due to the loess-loam components of the Gräfenberg phyllite terroir compared to the shallower terroir of the Turmberg, but richness and power are the nature of the Gräfenberg, which is still fresh and refined enough to represent its coolish terroir character as well.” - 95+ Points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
2020 Müller-Catoir Herzog Rieslaner Auslese 375ml - $79 per bottle ; $92 RRP
“A touch of mushroom from botrytis on the nose, but way more exotic fruit, particularly papaya. Eucalyptus, too. Great power and textural complexity on the full-bodied palate, the sweetness very discreet for this category. Wonderful lime-zest freshness at the finish.” - 95 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
2020 Müller-Catoir Herzog Rieslaner Beerenauslese 375ml - $162 per bottle ; $185 RRP
*Limited stock / not on tasting*
“Very dense and compact, but with sweetness at the lower end of the scale for dessert wines, this has great dried-mango, papaya and custard-apple aromas. And yet, at the breathtakingly intense finish it remains so precise and finely nuanced.” - 98 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
2020 Müller-Catoir Herzog Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese 375ml - $245 per bottle ; $280 RRP
*Limited stock / not on tasting*
“Golden in color, this offers very, very vibrant orange marmalade and apricot conserve, as well as dried mango. Staggering acidity here. The fruit is so pure with peach and mango conserve in super sweet mode and bracing acidity. So intense that it is confrontational now and needs a lot of time to settle. This is one of the wines you can most easily age in the cellar. Dried apricot finish, seared by 13 grams per liter of acidity.” - 98 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
To purchase any of the wines in today's newsletter, please do so by clicking the links, or phone us on (07) 3252 1117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au - Prices valid until stock runs out or until the 31st of August