(2024) Wonderfully developed toasty nose, dripping with honey. Fresh churned butter and a streak of fat, juicy lime cutting through the inherent sweetness. Fabulous – I’m a sucker for these aged Hunters. This is a single vineyard wine from Tyrell's.
(2024) Fabulous burnished gold colour, the honey is the first note, sesame seeds, and confit lemon. On the palate the freshness is a delight. The texture is surprising, with a bit of extract grip. Lemon curd comes through more strongly, a light waxiness, seems to have become more pure, more focused as it warms slightly and opens in the glass. Possibly just a tiny bit past its peak, but just superb.
(2022) Younger vines here, around 10 years old, on sandy alluvial soil. The recipe is very similar: no oak, no malolactic, and bottled early from stainless steel. Again, that beautiful development here, adding a touch of flint to toast and lemon curd. The palate has a little more weight that the Tyrell's it feels to me (though slightly lower alcohol), and a bursting orangy brightness to the fruit. Delicious lemon jelly purity swept up in acidity in the finish, gives this salty savouriness as well as pleasing fruit brightness.
(2022) From vines planted in 1968 on sandy loam soils, this was fermented in a combination of steel and French oak barriques. It was aged nine months in barriques, 20% new, with minimal lees stirring. A glint of green to the colour here, and a fine, subtley nutty nose, something gastronomic, almost like a fruity olive oil, and ripe pear and melon fruit. The palate has a terrifically sparky line of acidity that is juicy, citrus-fresh and yet sweetly rounded too. The fruit has plenty of mandarin orange brightness, lovely succulence and texture, but a beautifully focused, smile-inducing and approachable style.
(2016) Fermented in barrel using indigenous yeasts, this then spent a further 11 months in French oa, only 15% new. Very nice lift and juicy elegance, some of the gingery and ripe pear aromatic of the Viognier, the oak delicate. Full, but decisively crisp and lean on the palate, very juicy, the clarity is admirable.
(2016) Ian Riggs is the winemaker of this terrific Semillon, described to me as "The best of the best," and bearing his initials - 'Ian Leslie Riggs'. Made in all stainless steel, pressed off the skins immediately it's a super selection of wines given extended bottle ageing. Taut minerals, wax and beeswax, the lemon rind hint of fatness. The palate has a vibrant, intense, bright and sherbet character. Great shimmering length.
(2016) Wonderfully developed smokiness, wax, Riesling-like minerality and the palate riven with shimmering fruit and lime and lemon zest acidity. Terrific.
(2016) Very tight, lightly oily, such crunching, vibrant aromas and flavours even after five years, a touch of Chablis-like oyster shell, but also fat, limey flavours and hints of the tropical. So youthful and fresh with a great future ahead.
(2016) From Tumburumba very close to Canberra and two vineyards, one at 300m and the other at 850m giving a diurnal shift, 40°C by day down to 12° even in summer. This sees 80% new oak and has a lovely smoky, flinty minerality, toast and a touch of lanolin and creamy apple. The palate is pristine, with beautifully fresh flavours the texture quite rich but great acidity and a vibrant finish.
