Monday, April 12, 2010

Eden Valley Riesling Death Match: Bracket 2 - Bottle Age is Good!

Eden Valley Riesling Death Match: Bracket 2 - Bottle Age is Good!

6 years old and still bright and fresh
For those who haven't read part 1, it's probably important that you do (just so you get a feel for the context) so have a squiz here.

As highlighted yesterday, the formula here is simple - 3 very similar wines, all pitched against each other in a classic death match of vinous proportions.

In this bracket we see the heavyweights enter the ring, in the form of a few bottle aged reserve Eden Valley Rieslings fighting it out in a brawl of toast, lime and slate.

Let the bout begin!

Wine 1
Peter Lehmann 'Wigan' Riesling 2004 (Eden Valley, SA)
$35, Screwcap, 12.5%

What a leadout! A trophy winning wine that absolutely lived up to its reputation, the Wigan was easily the best on park today. Stunning wine.

Beautiful, classic golden toast over citrus juice in a form that just sings out 'Eden Valley'. Actually, I think it sings out Peter Lehmann too, for the 'Margaret' Semillon appears to carry a very similar bottle age character to it. Regardless, it's pure and distinctive and good.

Palate is similarly wonderfully proportioned and distinctive, though perhaps not for everyone? Long palate starts with some creamy lime custard that gets toastier and weightier as the palate progresses. Lots to chew on with the contrast between creamy bottle age generosity vs severity of the citrus backbone. Epic finish. Just keeps going, lime toast resonating through the finish. Still tight. Trophy wine. 19/96

Wine 2
Penfolds 'Reserve Bin' Aged Release Riesling 2005 (Eden Valley, SA)
$25, Screwcap, 11.5%

Rifling back through my notes, it looks like I've never been a fan of the Penfolds Rizzas, with the 08 Eden Valley Riesling getting (unconsciously) the exact same middling score when tasted last year (I'm nothing if not consistent). I think my gripe with this Penfolds line comes in its form, or general lack of it, particularly in this lineup of (older) wines.

Fleshier than the Wigan, without the definition, this is more flab than anything else with just a big blob of citrus. Palate starts with green pea but falls away pretty quickly to something quite generic and dry, if still recognisably Eden. Not alot to love here, with not enough delineation or length for a higher score.

Absolutely last place in this bout, though not necessarily a bad wine, this was simply outclassed here. 16.8/89

Wine 3
Heggies 'Reserve' Riesling 2004 (Eden Valley, SA)
$26, Screwcap, 12.5%
Smack Down!

A straw yellow wine in a sea of green, this is obviously more forward than the rest. Quite floral though. Almost Alsatian with a hint of orange rind on the nose actually, as if it suggests more palate richness. Palate is layered and long but a bit bluntly toasty with some metallics through the finish.

Interesting, if lacking the absolute finesse of the Wigan, this sure has the complexity and weight, if set in a somewhat chubbier form. Still an enjoyable drink. 17.3/91

Winner: Peter Lehmann 'Wigan' Riesling 2004

A winning wine that absolutely shone in this lineup. Can't rate it more highly and would happily show this off to anyone unfamiliar with Australian wine as the perfect example of what can be achieved.

I'm buying some.
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Posted by Andrew Graham at 10:28 PM
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5 comments:

  1. The 2004 Wigan is my favorite Aussie Riesling on current release. Absolute cracker. I'll take this over a Buring Leonay, Pewseyvale Contours or Grosset any day.

    Just a personal thing I'm sure.

    Timothy Watson

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  2. I confess to not having tried the '04 Wigan. This must clearly change.

    I also confess to having liked the '04 Heggies Museum Release a touch more than you. Your bottles seems to have been quite advanced. I like it enough to buy 3 more. Here's my TN for sake of comparison:

    A museum release, this isn’t a particularly evolved looking wine, despite being five years of age. The nose is subdued, but shows a more ethereal spectrum of lime and slate than normally encountered in the region – no overt, showy fragrant limey perfume characteristics here. It’s quite acidic, but with plenty of pliant structure. A subtle, fine and highly elegant sort of Eden Valley release, as seems to be the Heggies way, it doesn’t have a highly impactful palate, or at least not yet. The best seems to be yet to come, with the wine’s wet steel qualities and racy acidity, but no hint of bitterness, suggesting that this wine will quietly evolve in its own good time. In short, this wine could be a bit of a sleeper. Tasted 10/09.
    93+

    I agree with you on the Penfolds wine. I tried the standard release of '05 recently and thought it was better, if more forward, but not a great wine either. The museum release is rather generic. That said, I really liked the '06 and even the '07 was good. These are more "table friendly" Rieslings with more rose petal/rosewater characters than you'd normally in Eden Valley Riesling. A bigger, bolder style and a marked step away from earlier releases - and triumphs in the context of the vintages. I've not tried the '08, though I've heard elsewhere that it's bland.

    Keep the Riesling coming Andrew!

    MichaelC

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  3. You could well be right on the Heggies Michael - if viewed stand alone it probably would have scored even higher points. In this case it was simply outshone by the Wigan.

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  4. That 04 Wigan is suberb. A worthy winner.

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  5. The 04 Wigan, alongside it's similarly awesome sibling Margaret (reviewed here: http://www.ozwinereview.com/2009/12/3-australian-whites-with-personality.html) also picked up a gold at the 2010 IWC. Damn smart judges!

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