O’Leary Walker Watervale Riesling 2021

I am just loving these 2021 Clare Valley Rieslings, almost universally across the board. Any winemaker in the region who got this wrong should be condemned to make only warm climate, young vine Sauvignon Blanc for the rest of their natural life. Of course, some guys will inevitably do it better than others and it will come as no surprise that Dave O’Leary and Nick Walker are right at the top of the tree. And at $30 each, the value for both these Rieslings is almost criminal. A case for now, a case for the cellar. 

This is green with pale gold throughout. Beautifully aromatic with spices, kaffir limes, hints of grapefruit, some minerals if you look hard enough and floral notes. A wine which is textbook and stunning. The palate is intense with great length and immaculate balance. It is perhaps a fraction more generous than the nose suggested, but nothing wrong with that. A Riesling which is cracking now and has a decade ahead of it.