2004 Crawford River Riesling (Henty)

While this Riesling mightn’t quite have the reputation of Grosset, for a number of Riesling lovers in this country the Crawford River is numero uno. My experience with Crawford River until this wine had been limited to the 2010, which didn’t blow me away, but then is generally not considered the most representative of vintages.

So what of the 2004? When you taste the fresh, yet developed characters of this 8 year old Riesling, I find it mind boggling to see the number of Northern hemisphere Rieslings that still remain under cork. More than a decade of evidence of the superiority of screwcap, and winemakers still want to submit one of the great wines for ageing to the vagaries of cork.

To the wine. Bright acidity and amazing freshness as an 8 year old. Classic riesling citrus fruit has developed a nice richness and is accompanied by toasty, kerosene notes. A streak of earthy minerality adds uniqueness and texture. A very good Riesling that is drinking beautifully now and for the next few years.

The question I was looking to answer is whether the 2004 is a benchmark Australian Riesling? It’s a quality Riesling, but not quite at the top of the tree for mine. Whether 2004 is considered one of the better vintages or not, I’m not sure. Perhaps it will be third wine lucky when I next try a Crawford River.



Rated:

 
 
 
RRP: $50
ABV: 12.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.crawfordriverwines.com/
 
 
Red