Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Thorley Riesling 2023
- 93
- $66
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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.
Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.
