2023 Hentley Farm Mt. Crawford Riesling, Barossa Valley

Riesling sourced from the high, cool climes of Mt Crawford at the southern end of the Barossa Valley. Pale with green flashes and aromas of crunchy apple, freshly squeezed lime and white peach with hints of crushed quartz, white flowers, freshly cut fennel, lemon sherbet and citrus blossom. Tight and focused with a fresh limey tang, the merest slink of texture, plenty of minerally velocity and a crisp, sapid finish that gets the saliva working overtime. Wowee!

97 points Special Value Dave Brookes winecompanion.com.au

The Mount Crawford single-estate vineyard is set high in the cool hills at the southern edge of Barossa Valley, and produces exceptional wines that are reflective of the meticulously planned site.

This Riesling was hand-harvested early to retain fresh acidity and varietal intensity, then spent three months on lees to develop textural complexity.

Set on the red-brown soils of the western Barossa Valley, Hentley Farm founders Keith and Alison Hentschke acquired the 150 acre vineyard and mixed farming property in the 1990s. Following extensive research to find out where the best red wine grapes in the Barossa Valley were being produced, their studies led them towards the rich red soils of the Seppeltsfield area. Keith used an old soil map from the 1950s to strategically locate the best parcels of land and after a number of years acquired Hentley Farm.

With a focus on perfecting the vineyards, the first wines weren’t released from the property until 2002. The estate was extended with the purchase of the neighbouring high quality Clos Otto block in 2004.

Winemaker Andrew Quin was set the challenge: to create a world-class Riesling for the Hentley Farm range.