Country: Australia
Region: Polish Hill River
Vintage: 2024
Variety: Riesling
Alcohol volume: 7.5%
Closure: Screwcap

Aroma
The bouquet is sweetly scented with aromas of custard apple, passionfruit, pineberry and ylang ylang, which carry through onto the lusciously flavoured palate.

Palate
This wine is low in alcohol, with a finely-tuned balance of succulent residual sweetness and tangy natural acidity that balances, seemingly effortlessly, on a knife edge of precision. While the luscious sweetness flows across the tip of the tongue, carrying a fruit basket of flavours and sweetshop memories with it, this seamlessly gives way to a line of racy natural acidity that drives the length of the palate to a clean, crisp finish - the ultimate hallmark of the very best examples of this unique style of Riesling.

Region notes
Sourced from our Polish Hill River vineyard, situated 5km South-East of the Clare township. The vineyard is owned by Rob and Lyn Jaeschke, who purchased the vineyard from Penfolds in 2010. The vineyard is on grey-brown loam, over sandy limestone and shale rock. Riesling Block “D6” which is specially selected for the No.8 is a tiny planting of just 0.4 ha, situated in a small gully bordered by a steep hill to the North, and the tree-lined bank of a creek to the South. The vines are approximately 20 years old, planted on 44 year old root stock and are planted in an East-West direction.

Vintage notes
The lead up to the 2024 vintage was atypical for Clare and Eden Valleys with unusually warm and dry conditions through the Winter and Spring of 2023. However, three consecutive preceding years of record-breaking rainfall ensured soils, dams and aquifers were well supplied with abundant moisture. While the rains were scarce, a severe hailstorm in late November caused significant damage across the Clare Valley south of Watervale, as well as the northern reaches of the Barossa. Fortunately, our vineyards were largely unaffected. Polish Hill River and White Hutt lie further to north of the impacted areas and our sole vineyard block at Watervale was largely spared. Hail damage throughout Eden Valley was sporadic and comparatively minor. Summer temperatures and rainfall were in line with the long-term average with sporadic rains dissipating entirely with the onset of Autumn. The Barossa Valley would experience its driest autumn on record, receiving only 15% of the long-term average rainfall for the season. The dry ripening season ensured zero disease pressure with cooler conditions in late summer and early autumn and occasional short bursts of warmer weather ensuring maximum flavour development and natural acid retention.

Dave Brookes
96 Points
An unctuous Polish Hill River-born riesling from the Jaeschke family vineyard that sports 32 g/L of RS in an Aussie Kabinett style. Super pale with a green flash and pure and expressive fruit tones of lime, grapefruit, custard apple, feijoa and pomelo with underlying hints of orange blossom, frangipani, riverstone and some vaguely earthy mycelial undertones. It's an enchantingly pure wine, its finely honed tension making it appear drier than you'd expect, with a fine, minerally cadence, an ache of umami and a drawn-out lime sorbet finish. Superb drinking.

James Suckling
95 Points
Aromas of orange blossoms, mandarin pith, slate, passion fruit flowers and rosewater. The palate is textured and medium-bodied from 34 g/L of residual sugar, giving a wonderful balance of freshness, minerals and sweet fruit notes. This is a true Australian off-dry style that references German Kabinett rieslings. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Campbell Mattinson
94 Points
Yes there’s some residual sugar here, it’s defined as “medium sweet” on the back label scale, and the alcohol is 7.5%, which supports that case. But gee whizz by crikey there’s intensity of fruit flavour here, and a daring amount of acidity to go with it. There’s nothing polite about this wine; it gives everything it’s got, and with both barrels. Lemon sorbet, lime, a fejoia note, the skin of mangoes. Apples, green apples, challengingly acidic. Whatever you do, don’t treat this as an off-dry easy drinker. It’s much more in-your-face than that. I’m not totally convinced that it’s in balance but there are more things in life and for sheer arresting impact I’m happy to give this high points.