2022 Spinifex Riesling

In our opinion, this is one of Australia’s finest Rieslings, even if it is made in such tiny quantities that many will never have the chance to taste it. The 2022 has remarkable intensity, complexity and texture. Seductive aromatics of white florals, ripe citrus and a touch of sweet apple draw you in. Piercing acidity and a nip of phenolics cut through the mouth-filling texture and compact flavours. It’s a bright, super long and simply outstanding value. It’s a million miles away from the simple, limey, austere stereotype many associate with Australian Riesling.

In 2018, Pete and Magali purchased the four-hectare, mature (est. 1945), dry-grown Rostein vineyard in Eden’s Flaxman Valley, planted to roughly one-third Riesling and two-thirds Shiraz. The soils are lean, degraded granitic sands, and the vineyard sits at an altitude of 475 to 495 metres above sea level. Two parcels of organically-managed Riesling give rise to two wines—The Rostein Riesling is made from the 1945 vines, and this cuvée is made from the 1956 section.

The fruit was hand-harvested at crazy-low yields for Riesling: a paltry 0.8-tonnes per acre. This year the entire harvest was chilled overnight, then crushed, and spent about two hours macerating before being pressed. The press wine was fermented and aged for six months in used French oak (500-litre), while the rest went to tank. In both cases, the wine spent four months on lees before racking and assemblage. There were no yeast or acid additions and partial malolactic.