2018 Pewsey Vale The Contours Mueseum Reserve Riesling, Eden Valley

Ah, the wonders of Eden Valley Riesling as it just starts to enter its secondary phase. This one is beginning to show some toasty character, which you might expect with a wine that is seven years old. But it is hardly going to flip in the short term and it retains a youthful, vibrant edge highlighted by that strong mineral and lemony character that you might expect with a little bit of Eden Valley bath salts and dry talciness. Already a high degree of richness, but it’s held tight with control. Outstanding.

96 points Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot Sep 2025

Walk into a bath house and you’ll be met with trickling water, essential oils and the feeling of calm, this too has the same effect. Lemon myrtle, lemongrass, bath salts and rainforest greens. Just like the cool sloping site. The Contours is a supreme wine from a rugged site, this brings together the poignancy of aged Riesling into a holistic white wine experience. Grilled chestnuts preserved citrus and slinky lines of thirst quenching acidity. It’s complex, textural and hella moreish. What a pleasure to sip and contemplate, and a total steal at that price. Drink now or allow it to gain even more detail with another 6-8 years in the cellar.

96 points Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot Sep 2025

Another museum release riesling from the excellent Contours block of the Pewsey Vale vineyard, way up around 500m in the High Eden. A gentle mid-straw in the glass with aromas beginning to take on the complexity that we love from aged riesling. Bickford's lime cordial, citrus blossom and Christmas lily are joined by buttered brioche, washed rind cheese, pressed wildflowers, almond paste, petrichor and stone. Porcelain acidity provides clarity and cadence, and it is clear that this wine is in a great place, possibly heading to a greater one.

95 points Special Value Dave Brookes winecompanion.com.au

Pewsey Vale is one of the foundations of Australian Riesling, with vines first planted in the Eden Valley in 1847. The vineyard was revived by Geoffrey Angas Parsons and Wyndham Hill Smith in the 1960s, beginning the modern chapter of an estate now synonymous with the variety. The Contours sits at the summit of the range, made from old vines on a particularly cool contour of the vineyard and deliberately held back for five years before release.

That extra time is fundamental to the style. Rather than simply selling a youthful Riesling and leaving the cellar work to you, Pewsey Vale releases The Contours as its citrus and floral characters are beginning to move towards the toastier, more savoury territory of mature Eden Valley Riesling. The 2018 vintage delivered excellent concentration and acidity, and with further bottle age now behind it, the wine is entering a particularly interesting stage.

Bright lemon gold, with lime marmalade, preserved lemon and yellow apple joined by grapefruit and a little white peach. Fresh ginger and lemon verbena sit beside beeswax, toast and a faint smoky note, while crushed stone keeps the aromas feeling fresh. The palate is beautifully focused, combining mature citrus richness with a firm line of acidity. Lemon curd, lime and toast fill the middle before ginger, wet stone and a touch of almond carry the long, dry finish.

Butter poached lobster with lemon is calling rather loudly here. Steamed coral trout with ginger and spring onion, scallops with miso butter, Vietnamese turmeric fish with dill or a coconut and lemongrass prawn curry are equally tempting. Our pick is the lobster, with the wine’s developing toastiness and preserved citrus cutting beautifully through all that sweet, buttery richness.

Cellaring: Beautiful now, with further development to 2038+.