Minerality is this wine’s thing.
The Eden Valley has a varied terrain but much of it is rocky with ironstone and quartz gravels, and the Riesling from this region often has a distinct sense of minerality on the palate. Is this sense of minerality a direct translation of the terroir or just a coincidence? It’s an ongoing scientific debate as to how much the sense of minerality that a wine delivers is a result of the soil that the grapes are situated in. The romantic in me would like there to be a direct correlation but at this point in time the science doesn’t seem overly supportive of this. Whatever the case it’s a trait I love in Eden Valley Riesling and this wine in particular.
The nose of this wine is classic Eden Valley with aromas of lime, apple blossom, slate and talc. On the palate however, it’s somewhat atypical. It doesn’t have as much of the crisp acidity as other 09 Eden Valley Rieslings that I’ve tried, and instead delivers a rounder and fuller mouthfeel. Lovely, pure fruit with flavours of lime and apples along with a touch of spice. The finish is long and is underpinned by an overall sense of minerality. As the wine moves from chilled to closer to room temperature this sense becomes more pronounced and more appealing. It’s not exactly like having pebbles in your mouth but near enough (in a good way).
A quality Riesling that I am looking forward to seeing age over the next decade.
Rated:
RRP: $26
ABV: 12.0%
Website: www.meshwine.com
5 comments:
Great tasting note. I love the pebbles analogy - very Eden Valley. Good stuff.
Thanks Andrew and nice to finally meet you at the St Hallett tasting today!
Thanks Andrew. Pleasure.
Spot on with the TN. Still, not 100% sure if it's how I really like Eden valley Riesling. It's on my list to re-try for possible cellaring. Quality whatever the cae, but my suspicion is that it's wine that will build quickly and be drinkable at each point through to seven years, rather than be the sort that needs to be left well alone for five or six.
MichaelC
Thanks Michael. It did definitely take me a little while to come around to really enjoying the wine because the palate is somewhat different from what I was expecting. It had me by the end though.
Agreed that it's likely to be accessible at all stages of ageing. Will be an interesting wine to compare in 8-10 years with the other 09 Eden valley Rieslings I have in the cellar.
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