Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2023

A long, late, cool, wet kind of 2023 vintage in the Clare Valley might have been a challenge for wine producers, but there’s little evidence when you taste this Mitchell Watervale Riesling. The sub-region’s usual lovely, brisk delivery of fruit and zingy acidity is all there. Aromas of lime, lime skin with citrus blossom and orange peel show off the noted Watervale aromatic style. This is a youngster, fresh, vibrant and still in development mode. Shows length on the palate and has the basis for gaining greater depth of flavour with time. The signs are there with the engaging taste of grapefruit, pear, green mango, citrus and just an alluring hint of musk, all wrapped in lemon drop-bright acidity. Should age well.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic