Artis Riesling Clare Valley 2023
- 92
- $40
- Drink by: 2026-2036
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The fruit here has been sourced from a 25-plus-year-old vineyard, the Gardinier Well Vineyard, in the Auburn sub region of the Clare valley. Free run juice only, but it was split into two parcels for fermentation. One, the typical stainless steel ferment that we see throughout the region, while the other was with native yeasts in old French oak barriques, which replicates a technique from Austria. This helps to enhance texture. The team also left a tiny amount of residual sweetness in the wine before the two parcels were blended together. It then spent a further short period in the barrels before bottling. The colour here is a shimmering lemon/straw. Aromas weave through notes of jasmine flowers, an array of spices, lemon curd and gentle peaches. There is a minerally backing and quite decent length. Good persistence as well. As we might expect from the winemaking, this is a little more textural than we usually get from Riesling and it certainly works well. Enjoy this over the next ten years.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
