2023 Loosen Barry Slate Hill Riesling, Clare Valley

The new bottling to complement the Walter Walter [Ed. Note: Wolta Wolta], aged in tank for two years on full lees before bottling. There's a trademark spicy, nervy minerality here from vines grown on slate, with wet stone, pepper, flint, salty lemon, yuzu and lime zest. The palate is taut and almost puckering, with intense drying acidity leaving a long, salivating, slightly salty finish with layers of citrus and minerals lasting for minutes. Needs time in the cellar to unravel but already shows the precision and tension that riesling lovers will appreciate. Drink or hold.

96 points Ryan Montgomery for James Suckling, September 2026

This riesling is wild fermented and rested on lees for two years. The result is an exhilarating, textural expression with juicy, plush texture, a light chalky grip, a subtle nutty-savoury undertow and a flourish of steel. Bright citrus fruit is meshed to gentle, just-ripe stone fruit and gingery-pineapple piquancy. Energetic, with exceptional length, great depth of flavour and a general pizzazz. A winner. Drink to 2035.

95 points Special Value Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026

Earthy/slaty and dried flower aromas, the palate juicy with lovely fruit depth and the aromatics are lifted by the barely perceptible touch of sweetness (7 g/l). This saw no oak, but was aged on lees in tank for two years. Drink to 2035.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, January 2026

The 2023 Loosen Barry Slate Hill Riesling was made utilizing wild fermentation and was aged on the lees in tank for two years. The relationship between the Barry family in Clare and Ernie Loosen in Germany has yielded many interesting and positive developments over the years, not the least of which are the collaboration Rieslings produced in the Clare Valley. Here we have a wine that is distinctly Clare in its fleshy fruit and juicy acidity, while the extended time on the lees has contributed an additional textural dimension to the drinking experience. This is floral, fleshy and figurative in its expression, and I like it so much. It has personality yet also restraint. What a superb wine. There are six grams of residual sugar here, but it is invisible and only serves to balance the impact of the lees. Drink to 2043.

95 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2025

The Loosen Barry wines are a Clare Valley Riesling-collaboration between the Barrys and their Mosel-based family friends, the Loosens. Wild fermented and aged on lees in stainless steel for two years, the name of this wine derives from the German word Schieferhügel which describes the traditional, steep vineyard slopes of the Mosel wine region.

About Jim Barry Wines

Jim Barry was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, and the business he founded in 1959 has remained in family hands across three generations since. The current custodians of the family business are Peter & Sue Barry, while the third generation of Barry’s, Tom, Sam and Olivia, work as winemaker, commercial manager and brand ambassador respectively.