Country: Australia
Region: Eden Valley
Vintage: 2025
Variety: Riesling
Alcohol volume: 11.0%
Closure: Screwcap

Aroma
The bouquet leaps forth with intense aromas of fresh limes, passionfruit, and rosewater; complemented by a spicy undertones of fennel seed and star anise.

Palate
The evocative summertime scent of rain falling on warm slate transitions onto the elegant yet assuredly structured palate; educing a foundational slate- like minerality running beneath the punchy flavours of freshly squeezed lime juice and elderflower cordial. The tightly wound acidity, which is a hallmark of both the region and the 2025 vintage, drives the length of the palate drawing through to a fine, crisp finish; while the flavours lingering lusciously in the mouth long after the wine has gone.

Region notes
Rieslingfreak No.4 is made from selected vineyards across the southern ranges of the Eden Valley region. The No.4 brings together the elegance, structure and acid drive of the High Eden subregion of Flaxman Valley, with the intense flavour and rich aromatics produced by vineyards on the outskirts of Angaston and Springton, imparting complexity to the bouquet and opulence to the palate.

Vintage notes
The lead up to the 2025 vintage was notable for 2024 being the driest year on record in South Australia, as well as being the third-warmest year since records began in 1838. With little rain to speak of it was clear that the 2025 vintage would demand judicious irrigation and careful management of supplemental water to achieve quality crops. From budburst there were clear indicators of the potential for a bumper harvest, but hopes were dashed in late September when a catastrophic frost annihilated the early spring growth across much of the Clare and Eden Valleys. While initially devastating, the timing of this frost event played into our favour as we watched the vines bounce back with secondary budburst. The second crop was significantly smaller than the primary, but with limited water supply and no rain in sight, this allowed our growers to curate dense, healthy canopies with remarkable quality fruit from minimal water input. Summer temperatures were well above the long-term average leading to early harvests across South Australia. Rieslingfreak commenced picking on the 10th of February, with all the fruit received into the winery by the end of the month. For a year that is marked by hot and dry conditions, the intensity of flavour and electric acidity in the 2025 Rieslings is both remarkable and incredibly exciting. While the quantity of wine produced from the vintage may be meagre, the quality certainly cannot be questioned.

James Suckling
97 Points
Tightly wound and pure aromas of lemon pith, grapefruit rind, slate, passion fruit, fresh herbs and white flowers. The palate is sharp and focused, with bright acidity and a firm line of minerality carrying notes of mandarin and chalk. The finish is both electric and precise. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Mike Bennie
93 Points
This is ballistic drinking at the price. Tight, racy, skeletal, all the lemon verbena, lemongrass, pickled ginger, the piercing thrust of saline minerality, the brittle finish with all its speckles of almost fizzing, mouthwatering quartz and crystals. A touch of tropicals here, some green apple too. Perhaps just a touch washy, but the enthusiasm for drinkability is righteous here. 93+

Dave Brookes
95 Points
Riesling sourced from the High Eden subregion of the Eden Valley and produced by that freak of riesling John Hughes. High-tensile and wonderfully focused as always. There are aromas of freshly juiced limes, green apple and grapefruit with a dab of soft spice, crushed quartz, sliced fennel, orange blossom, Christmas lily and ozone. Tightly coiled, with a crystalline focus, it zooms across the palate, leaving a limey wake. Finishes bone dry, nervy and lip-smacking.