Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Thorley Riesling 2023

There are lovely orange citrus aromas to start, with orange sherbet, rock candy, mandarin oil, segments, and blossom. A good swirl unlocks a stony minerality along with a glimmer of pickled ginger and tonic. The cool and late 2023 vintage shows clearly here, particularly as those orange citrus notes are quickly guillotined on the palate by a tart, tangy profile and linear shape, despite a good burst of glycerol texture. Mandarin zest, lemon juice and pith, pickled herbs, salted grapefruit, and tonic water shoot through a coiled funnel of rapier acidity to a citrusy close of good length. This is a more angular release, reflective of the cool, drawn-out vintage, with a febrile and pointed aesthetic. VS&B have done their job in capturing the essence of 2023. It will be interesting to see how this fleshes out with time.