2011 Polish Hill River Riesling

Straw with hints of steely green. 

Fresh and fruit-driven with lovely kaffir lime and mandarin, plus added complexity with hints of almond and apricot.

Powerful lime and citrus with long natural acidity.

Ageing wonderfully now, and with careful cellaring will continue to improve until 2030.

Virtually next door to each other in the Polish Hill River, Martin and Joan Smith and Molloy's vineyards stand as excellent examples of what this sub-region of Clare can achieve. Quality soils are the thumb print of all great wines and as the road leading to both vineyards is called Blue Cutting Road, so too is the basis of these vineyards. Grey loam acid soils over sandstone and slate make up the profile with much of the top soil littered with rock, hinting at just how tough the vines need to be to sustain growth and produce quality fruit - not to mention the work of the vigneron to ensure overall balance. Only nine kilometres from Watervale, the Polish Hill River region is quite a bit cooler and typically the fruit ripens two - three weeks later; this combined with the soil profile produces fruit with finesse and intensity. It is the slate of Polish Hill River, as opposed to the limestone of Watervale that gives rise to the point of difference between these styles.

Fruit is harvested in the cool of night, de-stemmed, crushed and gently pressed. This restults in a fine free-run cut and a pressings component, with all batches kept separately in stainless stell tanks. The free-run juice is chilled to preserve the vineyard expression and purity of fruit. Once the juice has settled it is racked off solids and seeded with yeast. A cool, temperature controlled fermentation is carried out over 10-14 days. The wine is then chilled and filtered prior to bottling.  

Alcohol - 12.0%

pH - 2.94

Acidity - 7.7g/L

Awarded a gold medal at the 2020 International Wine Challenge, London.