Tag Archives: polish hill

July 25, 2012 · 4:07 pm

Australian Riesling Round-Up: The Exciting(?) Conclusion

Wakefield and Grosset Riesling in a bike basket

Australian Riesling Round-Up

I felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day every time I wrote an Australian Riesling tasting note. “Minerals, acidity, lemon-lime, dry as a Brit’s sense of humor”—yes, most of the wines had some or all of these qualities. If you like this taste profile, try these wines. I found them to be very good to excellent in quality, and aside from one bottle, extremely reasonably priced. If any of the wines are sold-out through my links, try wine-searcher to check for bottles around the country, or the next vintage if the one I reviewed is no longer available. Unfortunately, I have looked back on a few bottles I tasted and discovered they are now tapped out completely in the American market.

After tasting 9 Rieslings, I conclude they offer the following:

Reliable quality and flavor profile. Across the board, these wines are very consistent in palate. For the wine buyer who doesn’t like to purchase brands they don’t know, this is a good thing. I was a little surprised not to find more variation between the wineries or even Clare and Eden Valley, but at least you know what you are getting yourself into if you can’t find the specific bottle you want. This is also good for Australia—their wines need to achieve regional identity to attract more admirers, and this is aided by consistency.
Good value. I found many of these wines on sale, most likely because the American wine drinker doesn’t value them. Very few people are storming the stores looking for Australian Rieslings, as evidenced by my inability to find them in local shops. I also imagine the casual wine buyer searching online, for say, white wine on sale on wine.com is not aware that for Australian Riesling, older vintages are better—this goes against the norm of white wine; shoppers may be disinclined to order them, mistakenly thinking they are over the hill. Which brings me to the next suggestion:
Look for older vintages. The fresh-out-of-the-vineyard wines are full of acidity and could use a year or three to even begin to mellow.
No need to drop a lot of cash. You can reap the rewards of Australian Riesling in the lower price bracket, as they are well-made wines. If you do splurge for prize wines (Grosset), get the oldest vintage you can find or hold it for several years, to really get the most bang for your buck and enjoy the qualities that make aged Riesling special.

I hope this enlightened some of you to the joys of Australian Riesling. Comments or suggestions are welcome, particularly if you have another bottle to recommend or an idea for the next Untapped Region Series!

Sunglasses reflecting a wine glass in the Hudson Valley

Pewsey Vale “The Contours” Museum Reserve Riesling, Eden Valley 2006

We have reached the final wine in my Australian Riesling review—Pewsey Vale “The Contours” Museum Reserve from the Eden Valley; the most prestigious bottling in the winery’s narrow line-up. The winemakers hold this wine back for an impressive 5 years before it hits shelves, making 2006 the most recent vintage available.

You would never believe this juice was bottled nearly six years ago. The wine exudes freshness and bursts like a citrus-y pop-rock on the tongue: zippy and bright with grapefruit, lemon, lime and green apple. As the wine opens and warms, toast and a touch of honey shine through with hints of Marcona almond and key lime pie. Clearly this bottle can endure many years of wine-ownership, if you have the storage space and the self-restraint. $26.99 at K&L Wines.

LET’S DRINK THIS IN IBIZA, SPAIN!

Late-nights at mega-clubs, drunk Brits and chicks, Euro boys in tight clothes and party sunglasses—this is the European version of Jersey Shore, and for many first-time visitors to Ibiza, their only taste of summer on the island. But with a car and a companion, one can discover all the secrets of this intriguing place— hidden, romantic restaurants; the wild, herb-scented shores of the rocky north coast; gorgeous beaches found by following a footpath coupled with curiosity; and historic villages in which the original islanders still reside. After a day exploring, let’s unscrew a bottle of The Contours, watch the sun set and toast to taking the road less traveled.

Dandelion Vineyards, Wonderland of the Eden Valley Riesling, 2010

Dandelion Vineyards, Wonderland of the Eden Valley, may have a whimsical label and name, but their grapes have serious history. The vineyard was planted in the early 190o’s—some speculate late 1880’s—and grower 90-year old Colin Kroehn has tended his grape babies nearly his whole life. Wha? No pension and gold watch for the farmer? I admire someone committed to the longevity of his passion, as did the Dandelion team, a young winemaking group who chose his grapes for their Wonderland Riesling.

Refreshing like a cold shower after a summer day in New Orleans, Dandelion is crisp, clean and focused. Fresh grapefruit, lemon pith and lime commingle with streaks of flinty rock, suspended by taut acidity. This wine exhilarates: a spa day for the palate at Guerlain, priced like a Chinese nail shop. Loving this stuff for $14.99 at Wine.com.

LET’S DRINK THIS IN NEW ORLEANS!

It is summer and New Orleans is a swamp. Fight these soggy dollar days (your hands sweat so much your fistful of bills are soaked) with a glass of Dandelion. If your B&B doesn’t have AC, kick your feet up on the nearest balcony and try not to move. Hand-held fans are coming back into vogue anyway. If you must get out of the city, shack up at a plantation house and whittle away the day gazing into the massive trees that frame the splendid Oak Alley. A platter of the state’s finest oysters round out a sultry afternoon.

1 Comment

Filed under Australian Riesling, Dandelion Vineyard 2010

June 20, 2012 · 1:14 pm

Grosset, Polish Hill Riesling, Clare Valley 2010

Damn girl, you got it going on but your tag is priced high—too many awards inflate the ego? Grosset in the Clare Valley is considered by many the pinnacle of Riesling in Australia, including Langton’s, Australia’s leading classification authority on auction-worthy wines. It was definitely at the price point pinnacle of my Series, beating out the next highest wine by $20. Does Polish Hill merit the big bucks?

The nose is restrained, but the palate pops with what I have learned are the hallmarks of Clare Valley—lime and stone, and is bone dry. So what makes this bottle different from the rest? Balance, structure and intensity—Mikhail Baryshnikov posing as Riesling. Polish Hill waltzes seamlessly between wet-slate minerality, pressed-lime fruit and crisp acidity. While this is an impressive bottle and will age beautifully, $47 is a lot of money to drop on any wine, particularly one this young. Buy and hold, or mark your google calendar to wine-search a bottle on July 1^st, 2014 at, say, noon? And invite me to your appointment, please. $46.95 at Sherry-Lehmann

LET’S DRINK THIS IN BARDEJOV, SLOVAKIA!

You are probably wondering where the heck is Bardejov and why anyone would go to Slovakia besides lascivious college kids looking for a hostel bunk. The answer is in the image, if beautiful, intact medieval villages woo you (they do me). There isn’t much to do there besides sit around and watch the passerby, so you want to have something good in your glass. Slovakia produces wine, but nothing great, yet, so Polish Hill will do nicely on a hot, Central European afternoon. Plus, the dry Riesling will cut the heaviness of Slovakian dumplings and bryndzové halušky (sheep cheese gnocchi), that you will find yourself over-eating.