Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Beechworth Riesling 2023

Puncheon fermented and three to four months on lees before bottling. Reticent to start with subtly sweet lemon blossom popping out with a swirl of the glass, followed by lemon juice, lemon rind, honeysuckle, green apple skin, a faint whiff of high quality cedar, and a glimmer of ginger and lemon thyme. It’s a quiet little number aromatically, though with poise and complexity enough to intrigue and delight. The palate bursts flavour, however, with lemon juice, lemon rind, apple, and cedar sitting within a chalky, talcy texture and a taut acid frame leading to trademark length. The finish is led by citrus again, with that little flourish of sweet florals in the mouth perfume. This is fresh, bright and complex. Even in a brutally long, cold and wet vintage like 2023, VS&B deliver the goods. 64 dozen produced.