Henschke Julius Riesling 2025

The immediacy of this wine’s depth is what’s striking straight off. It’s floral and refined with a sense of brimming complexity wanting to cascade. Sweet jasmine flower, chamomile, Makrut lime, tonic water and lemongrass lead before an unfurling of steely minerality, peach skin, kumquat and melon. Further air reveals allusions of potpourri that never quite pop, along with glimmers of dehydrated lime and a saline, preserved-citrus edge. There’s a loose-knit feel to the palate in that it coats the mouth with flavour, but it’s remarkably tensile and bright. Lime pulp, steely minerality, honeydew melon and bitter lemon peel make up the core while notes of jasmine and kumquat dance around the edges. It’s all pulled into linearity by tight lines of citrusy acid and chalky grip to good length. Quite delicious now, but there’s a story to unfold with this wine over decades in the cellar for those inclined.