Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2019

This feels like a very old school riesling – and with that, seemingly new school. Vineyard management is traditional, dry-grown, without fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, hand-pruned and hand-picked. In the winery, the slow approach continues with a natural and gentle ferment then eight months floating on its wild yeast lees. All this is pertinent, as the wine, now released 18 months after harvest has a very distinctive style about it, a slowly developed richness of aromas and flavours.

Sure, there are the expected citrus notes, but with a deeper presence than simply fresh juice and zest. The palate is keenly balanced with a dusty minerality and judicious acidity, mouth-watering, spicy and definitely individual in its expression of what is a renowned varietal/regional stamp. You want character in your riesling? Here you go.