A Riesling Rumble Down Under

Okay, there’s no doubt about it; Riesling is the best white wine grape in the world – period.  It can be made in any style, from bone-dry to unctuously sweet, and it can work wonders in every mode.  It transfers the qualities of the vineyard where it’s grown with great fidelity.  It has aroma, body, texture and, in its best iterations, a thrilling acidity that makes it perfect with food. 

Having lived in Singapore for the last six years, and having a fiancé who cooks superb Asian dishes, I can testify from personal experience that Riesling is the foundational wine for anyone who seeks to pair wine with spicy foods.  The presence of Singapore on the rim of the Pacific basin means that wines from Australia and New Zealand were always prominent on the shelves of wine retailers and grocers, and were often found on restaurant wine lists.  So, both at home and in fine-dining establishments, I grew increasingly fond of the great whites from Down Under. 

So, two Wine Face-Offs this week – one with bottles retailing at about $20, and another for more value-conscious wines in the $10 - $13 range.

I’ll freely admit that the first Face-Off is grossly unfair, as I’m comparing a wine with significant bottle age to one that’s a brand-new release.  Of course, the bouquet on the older wine was more developed.  It’s worth noting that Riesling is practically immortal, and wines with bottle age develop secondary characteristics just as a superb red wine might do. 

One of the most important of these characteristics is an aroma that wine critics refer to as “petrol,” presumably because this sounds a bit more appetizing than saying “gasoline.”  This distinctive scent is part of what makes a mature Riesling an unforgettable experience; trust me, it’s a lot more pleasant than it sounds!

We’ll start with the more expensive bottles…

Heavyweights Duke It Out

Maturity has its advantages...

2009 Craggy Range Fletcher Family Vineyard Riesling (Marlborough, NZ):

Fairly deep color, primarily green with some gold tones.  Petrol!  Lime!  Floral notes!  A big nose, already nicely developed.  Mineral elements as well.  Velvety texture.  Weighty wine.  Tropical fruit flavors, with some grapefruit on the mid-palate and the long finish.  More lime as the wine opened up.  Elegant, but perhaps a touch soft – could use a hint more acid.  A knockout bouquet, with a palate that’s a little less impressive.  ***1/2

A good wine that could use a touch more acidity

2013 Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Riesling (Clare Valley, Australia):  Almost identical color as the Craggy Range – again, with green hues predominating over the gold.  Lemon/lime at first on the nose, which was shy at first; some petrol notes emerge with air.  Later, cotton candy scents, which quickly dissipated and gave way to a much steelier fragrance after a couple of hours.  Later still, mango and tangerine.  More citrus on the palate, with a nice, long finish.  Soft – needs some acid to give this a bit more backbone.  Query: will this take on a bit more weight, and gain further complexity of aroma, with more bottle age?  ***

The initial test foods for this Face-Off were two Thai dishes – vegetables in red curry with rice, and chicken with yellow curry and quinoa.  Both wines matched well, but the softness of both made them lack the element of acidity that would have made them even better partners for the meal.  

There’s a clear winner here; the Craggy Range had more depth, and the fragrance was just superb, exactly what you want from a Riesling with some maturity.  It’s interesting, however, that both wines were a little deficient in terms of acidity. 

Two from the value end of the price spectrum

As for our second Wine Face-Off, the deck is again stacked to some extent, as once again, we have a wine with some bottle age pitted against a much newer release.  Let’s see how this one turns out…

This one leans toward European models

2012 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Riesling (Barossa Valley, Australia):  Normally, I would call this a deep or rich greenish-gold, but it was only medium depth when compared with its opposite number in this Face-Off.  Steely scents, petrol and tropical fruits from the sweeter end of the spectrum on a forthcoming nose.  Some quinine notes and an interesting touch of evergreen emerged later.  Lemon/lime on the palate, followed by grapefruit accents.  Initially quite precise, but lost a bit of focus after two days under Private Preserve gas.  Still a very nice wine.  ***1/2

As far from shy as it's possible to get...

2010 Yalumba “Y Series” Riesling (South Australia):  Deep, vivid yellow-gold.   Big petrol aromas, with brass, and earthy notes that were quite interesting.  This is a big wine, with upfront tangerine flavors.  This isn’t a wine that sneaks up on you – it bursts in through the front door and announces its presence.  Very good of its kind, and excellent value for the money ($11.00 in this case).  Gained a bit of grip and some interesting orange peel scents after two days under gas.  ***1/2

So who wins this one?  At first, the Jacob’s Creek had a bit more cut, and was a more subtle wine.  However, the Yalumba grew on me, especially when I tasted it a second time.  Its exuberance was hard to resist.  This is another case where one wine seems to be hearkening after European models, while the other was vinified in a New World Style.  Both work well, although I’d probably opt for the Yalumba if I were going to buy a second bottle.

In the future, the Voyager will certainly be visiting Rieslings from Germany.  Hopefully, the next time I’m back on the East Coast, I’ll have the chance to make a side trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York, where a number of wineries are making astonishing, world-class Rieslings.  Watch this space!