2022 O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley

Such an exquisite wine. Dave O’Leary compares 2022 with the legendary vintage of 2002 (what a surfeit of riches we’ve had with the 22s following the wonderful 2021s) and on the evidence of this wine, no argument from me. The dry grown vineyard is classic Watervale, red loam over limestone with a westerly aspect. The hand-harvested fruit is de-stemmed, crushed and gently pressed. A component of the pressings is incorporated with the free-run juice, which is chilled after the pressing. The juice is settled, racked and yeast added. Fermentation is kept cool and takes around ten to fourteen days. Beautifully perfumed, this is so fragrant – an utterly magical nose. The wine seems so fragile but there is coiled power lurking below. Seamless, balanced, focused, we have notes of lemons and limes, florals and glacéd fruit. Gentle persistence and the palate really is incredibly long. It is so beguiling now that cellaring will be difficult but it will easily handle ten to twenty years and improve over that time. A brilliant Riesling. This is $25. Seriously? Is this the greatest bargain to be found anywhere in the world? Anyone without a case or two in the cellar is not serious about wine.

98 points Ken Gargett winepilot.com

O’Leary Walker’s Watervale Riesling is aromatic, intense, brisk and pure. Which is exactly what we expect and want from the Watervale sub-region, one of the Clare Valley’s most distinctive and undeniably classic spots for Riesling. Sets a highly fragrant tone from the outset with spring blossom, jasmine, talc, lemon sorbet and lime zest aromas. A fabulous, seamless wine with no harsh edges; only a glorious flow through the mouth dripping in lime cordial, grapefruit pith, talc and a spray of gentle spice. Intensity rises assisted by a clean slate-minerality before closing with a sour lemon drop tang. Too often, Watervale riesling is viewed – price-wise and quality-wise – as somehow the junior partner to its Polish Hill River sibling. Not this time round. In an outstanding vintage such as 2022, both stand tall.

96 points Jeni Port winepilot.com