Vickery Watervale The Reserve Riesling 2019
- 96
- $32
- Drink by: 2022-2035
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Clare Valley Vs Eden Valley riesling . . . what region comes out on top in this traditional and long-running battle for supremacy? Well, both do, of course. However, in this particular battle between the 2019 Vickery Eden Valley and 2019 Watervale rieslings, my heart – and top score – goes to the latter. There’s a brightness, freshness and energy in the Watervale riesling that is quite exciting. It’s looking younger, more vital than its Eden Valley sibling, juicier, too. It’s of a different style to be sure. I would drink the Watervale minus food and bring the Eden Valley out with something nice to accompany its richness.
The Watervale 2019 brings lifted apple blossom spring scents and grapefruit, concentrated Clare-style lime and citrus. There’s the merest hint of age emerging as you work through brisk, bright flavours of custard apple, mandarin skin, a touch of buttered toast and enveloping citrus. There’s a developing complexity here so it’s starting to reveal itself. It will also age well.
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.
