Harewood Estate Mount Barker Riesling 2021

We’ve been raving over the quality of the vintage for Rieslings in the Clare and Eden Valleys in South Australia. Clearly, it was a pretty special vintage in the West from the look of the Harewood Rieslings. From a single vineyard in the Mt Barker region, again free run juice only with a long, cool ferment in stainless steel. There seems slightly more green in the colour here but still a lovely green gold. The nose is mineral, florals, citrus and a hint of bath salts and river stones. Serious power underneath but all in balance and all kept well in check. Spices and florals on the palate. Good balance and a lovely lingering finish. I’m sure that this is something which someone who is not a tone-deaf musical buffoon like me could explain better, but what I found really intriguing here was the finish. At the very end of Springsteen’s ‘Thunder Road’, the E Street Band’s “Professor” Roy Bittan on the piano includes a wonderful moment where the sound seems to cascade away. Always gives me a chill. The finish of this wine seemed to offer that same gentle cascade to a fade out, and made me very happy.