Vickery The Reserve Watervale Riesling 2022
- 96
- $39
- Drink by: 2025-2045
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Stunning stuff from the team which has picked up the baton from our greatest Riesling producer, John Vickery. From the Watervale sub-region in the Clare Valley, this is fractionally more gentle than its sibling from the Eden Valley, but exhibits just as much focus and length. From a stellar vintage, it reveals everything we love about great Aussie Riesling. Sure, the rest of the world does not understand why we make Riesling like that, as opposed to the Germanic and Alsatian efforts, but that just means all the more for us. A pale lemon hue, the room immediately filled with gorgeous Riesling aromatics – spices, florals, herbs, citrus and river stones. Grapefruit, lemon curd and chalky notes emerged and there is a steely backing. This is so well balanced, with vibrant acidity, focus and drive, not to mention serious length. Gosh, this is superb stuff. Long may the rest of the world ignore it. Fifteen to twenty years ahead of it and it goes without saying that this is criminally undervalued.
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.
