Limefinger Watervale Learnings Riesling 2026

While his Polish Hill River vineyard suffered badly from frost and drought, Neil Pike’s Watervale source, a local grower, was able to provide fruit for him to make the usual production levels, meaning an output of 1,650 bottles. Despite potential issues with production, Neil is excited about the quality, comparing it to the best he has released under the Limefinger label, being the 2022 and 2024 vintages. It is fair to say that a great many winemakers may, on occasion, slightly exaggerate the success of the current vintage but over many years, I’ve come to rely on Neil to provide accurate and honest assessments, so if he says this is a good one, then you know it will be just that. Mountain stream clear, the wine has a gorgeous Riesling nose with aromas of lemons and grapefruits, river pebbles and gentle spices. It is exquisitely balanced, seamless and with laser-like focus. Wonderfully fragrant, we also see notes of wet slate emerging. A line of juicy acidity runs the length, and what amazing length it is. This really does suggest that 2026 is going to be something very special over the coming years. A brilliant Riesling, if you want to put this in your cellar for the next twenty years, it will reward you more than you can possibly imagine.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

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.

Wine writer and critic