WINES

RIESLING

There are three rieslings in the portfolio.

Since 1985 a riesling has been produced under The Wilson Vineyard label. For some years this was marketed as the "Gallery Series". That reference has since been deleted although the use of the art feature on the label continues.

Commencing with the 1991 vintage of the above, we have held back a quantity, and re-released after 5 years of cellaring. These limited releases have an appropriate simple black and white label, and have. They have not appeared in all years. The most recent release was the 1998.

2001 saw the first of the DJW riesling, an limited production from a distinctive small planting.

Notes on the current vintage.

The 2005 vintage was an odd one as far as the season was concerned. The summer was mild, and blessed with rains that came almost to order. The vines flourished. In February the vineyard was still lusciously green, in contrast to most years when moisture stress turns it a yellowish colour. Comparisons were made to the similarly mild ripening season of 2002 that was an outstanding year throughout the Clare Valley. March was the hot month, and April brought little respite. The blessing was that the vintage was free of rain. The problem was "galloping ripeness" in all grape red varieties. In 2005 our riesling vineyards ripened within two weeks; normally they are spread out over five weeks. This, combined with the rapidly ripening reds, made for a hectic vintage period, the most intensive for some years. The crop had to be harvested quickly to avoid sunburn, a result of rapidly declining soil moisture, and hence leaf loss. Sunburnt fruit results in elevated tannin levels and lower volatile components, but mercifully this was avoided.

Notes on the previous vintage.

The 2004 season was a difficult one for riesling, in that the summer was very hot and caused considerable sunburn to exposed bunches. Yet despite the heat, the riesling yields were better than average. One of the redeeming features of the season, was that the harvest season through March and April was dry and mild. At The Wilson Vineyard, all riesling is hand-picked, and then the grapes are whole-bunch pressed. It is a slow labour-intensive process that restricts our riesling harvest to about 2.5 tonnes per day, which means that the riesling harvest can extend for nearly three weeks. We aim to pick the grapes slightly over-ripe rather than under-ripe. In the situation where there is sunburnt fruit, whole-bunch pressing avoids any extraction of the burnt components and other phenolics.

DJW Riesling

In the extreme north-west corner of our vineyard, and on the highest part of our property is a small 2 hectare planting of young riesling vines, that is known as the DJW block, so called because son Daniel (Daniel James Wilson) planted the patch.

In 2001 that vineyard yielded its first economic crop, and it was Daniel's choice that the wine should be kept separate from the rest of our riesling production and produced as an individual vineyard bottling. His faith was justified, when in June 2002 the 2001 DJW Riesling was awarded the trophy for the best boutique riesling in the Boutique Wine Awards. That 2001 DJW Riesling also won a gold medal in the 2002 Clare Valley Wine Show category for non-commercial riesling.

The 2002 vintage was highly rated (94 points) by James Halliday.

The 2003 vintage has continued the winning streak, and in the 2003 Clare Valley Wine Show was awarded the Mick Knappstein Trophy for the best commercial riesling (current vintage), and the Jim Barry Perpetual Trophy for the best wine of the show. In August 2004 this wine was awarded the top honour for riesling in the Tri-Nation awards, held in Sydney. This award judges the best wines submitted from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

Daniel's involvement with the winemaking of the first two vintages of the DJW Riesling has been one of directing the winemaking from a distance whilst still employed in the Barossa. Commencing with the 2003 vintage Daniel has been fully engaged with the winemaking operations relating to this and all other wines produced at The Wilson Vineyard.

The style of the DJW Riesling, when compared with the traditional riesling of The Wilson Vineyard, is for a more aromatic and slightly less dry style of wine made with the intention of being more a "drink now" style than with the expectation of achieving greatness with age. The early indications are, however, that the first vintages of the wine are holding well in the bottle.

The DJW Riesling is a limited production that is mostly sold direct from the cellar, although with small quantities sold to a handful of selected outlets. We have a small export market for our wines to the United States, and commencing with the 2002 vintage, that market has taken a small quantity of riesling. It is the DJW Riesling that is the one that we have selected for this export market, although the wines that are exported carry the traditional label of The Wilson Vineyard Riesling.

Current release
The 2005 DJW Riesling is very much a lime driven style of wine. Aromas of lime-zest, and pineapple. The palate is very citric, and fills the mouth with is palate-cleansing freshness. There is a touch of mouthfeel that is enough to balance the sharpness of the acidity and give a slight weight to the mouth feel, but the finish is one that is dry, and hang and hangs.

Previous release
The "DJW" 2004 Riesling is our individual vineyard wine from one small 2ha planting, and produced in quantity considerably less than The Wilson Vineyard Riesling. It is deliberately made in a more aromatic style, and with slightly more residual sugar. The nose shows forward aromas of tropical fruit. On the palate it is a fruit driven style, reminiscent of guava, pineapples, and with limes dominating the finish. It finishes clean and dry, and has good length. We consider it a worthy successor to the much awarded 2003 wine.

The Wilson Vineyard Riesling

First produced in 1985, and thereafter every year. The recipe is low-yielding vines grown on stony slopes, and sparingly watered to achieve yields below 5 tonnes per hectare. The grapes are hand picked, and then chilled, before whole bunch pressing.

As testimony to the quality, in 1997, and again in 1998, the rieslings (the 1991 and 1992 respectively) were chosen by Winestate as the top Australian and New Zealand rieslings. Other vintages have consistently achieved major awards (silver medal or better). Polish Hill River is consistently acknowledged as the best of the Clare sub-regions for the production of riesling wines intended for cellaring.

100% Riesling.

Maturation potential will depend on individual preference. 10-15 year old rieslings in the cellar develop rich oily aromatics yet retain their citric freshness. Some find these wines over-aged and prefer the wines at six or seven years of age when the aromatics have cedary aromatics.

OUR CLASSIC CLIPPINGS FEATURE OF PAST NEWSLETTER ITEMS CONTAINS MANY SEGMENTS ON RIESLING, PARTICULARLY VINEYARD ASPECTS AND FLAVOUR PROFILES. IT ALSO FEATURES SOME ART LABELS OF PREVIOUS VINTAGES.

RELEASE INFORMATION

Current release: 2005 Riesling
The artwork for this label is by Roger Saunders. On the nose, this wine displays a complex blend of aromas, dominated by limes, and supported by passion-fruit, orange blossom, and musk. Those same dimensions flow through to the palate that also displays a touch of spiciness. As in previous years, this is a very dry wine, and has a clean and lingering finish.

Previous release: 2004 "Gallery Series" Riesling
The Wilson Vineyard 2004 Riesling is a wine built on fruit intensity. The colour has a greenish complexion. The nose is dominated by limes and lemons. It is a steely wine that is minimally influenced by tropical fruit (there is hint of passion fruit, but that is all). There is touch of muskiness, but the dominant flavour is limes, and as limes go slightly under-ripe limes. It has an extremely tight and dry acidic finish that fills the palate and lasts.

Previous release: 2003 "Gallery Series" Riesling
A light straw colour. Nose - a steely lime aroma, backed up by a touch of frangipani flower, and the aroma of a slightly under-ripe pineapple. The palate is a mouthfilling experience of fruit and clean acidity. It finishes long and dry like a classical Clare riesling should.

Previous release: 2002 "Gallery Series" Riesling
The 2002 vintage was a very mild season and had the consequence of giving rieslings that were very high in natural acidity. To achieve the best balance of the finished wine, the fermentation has not been allowed to proceed to its usual level of extreme dryness. This wine displays the usual riesling characteristics of tropical fruit and lime flavours, and has an extremely long and clean finish, but a finish that is balanced by the fullness of a small modicum of the natural grape sugar. This wine has an extremely low pH (2.93), which in our experience is the portent of a wine that will live for decades.

Previous release: 2001 "Gallery Series" Riesling
Pineapples, lychees and mangoes leap out of the glass. Strong lime flavours dominate the palate, with some peach and musk as well. Palate is long, clean, and steely. Overall a very generously endowed wine and one of our better vintages in recent years. Stelvin screw closures have been used for all of the 2001 Riesling.

Previous Release: 2000 "Gallery Series" Riesling
The colour is light straw, and the nose is very lemony and limey, and with floral tones of orange blossom. The palate shows powerful citric flavours, slightly under-ripe pineapples and is steely clean, and rolls across the palate and leaves it freshened, and not a hint of bitterness, and it just hangs and hangs - enormous length.

Previous Release: 1999 "Gallery Series" Riesling
Aromas of orange blossom and boronia: palate is dominated by intense lime flavours, and finishes long and clean.