Riesling is a Clare Valley speciality; it`s higher and windier here than in nearby Barossa. Every year, the winemakers at Jim Barry Wines look for parcels of their Clare fruit that are performing especially well, and bottle small-batch, vintage-specific cuvees to showcase Clare Riesling at its best. In 2018, they spotted a parcel called McKay`s where the fruit was really doing the business. They gave it a little more hangtime than usual, to allow a more generous, opulent character to take shape - though this bottling is by no means lacking verve or acidity. Notes of lime and ripe lemon mingle with a touch of the orchid house. Superficially, this feels like a light wine, but pay attention and there is a lovely, textured, weighty grip to the palate, partial evidence of its passage through old French oak barrels. A delightful, versatile food match already. Open for a few days in the fridge, it develops a complex character that quivers between quince and kerosene. Give it a few years to slumber in your cellar and I`d expect honey on toast. (NT 29/11/20)

Producer

Jim Barry

Origin

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia AUSTRALIA

Colour

white

Wine Style

dry

Dominant Grape

Riesling

Closure Style

screw cap

Maturity

ready

Bottle Size

75cl

Case Quantity

6

Alcohol

12.5%

Wine Score

16.5 points, Jancius Robinson, jancisrobinson.com, May 2020