2024 O'Leary Walker Polish Hill River Riesling, Clare Valley

The twin to the Watervale, this Polish Hill River Riesling, from the same stellar vintage, is spectacular stuff and brilliant buying.Trout stream clear, this is all riverstones, talc, florals, limes, spices, oystershell notes, lemon blossoms and grapefruit pith. Good intensity and a lingering, extremely
long, finish, but along the way, impeccable balance and crunchy acidity. A Riesling for the ages. Twenty plus years. Cellar as much as your cellar can hold.

 97 points Ken Gargett winepilot.com

The label touts 'organic grown and made'. A fresh and juicy, distinctly minerally style of riesling. It opens with scents of green apple, lemon verbena, lemongrass and fresh dill. The palate is more citrus orientated, but in a softer framework, with mandarin and lime dashed with a touch of grapefruit – refreshing for sure. A sense of saline or brine-like mineral character washes through, too. An ultra-pleasing, light and vibrant expression.

93 points Special Value Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

Pale straw with green hues. The bouquet provides notes of floral lime, talc, musk and hints of fennel. The palate is taut with powerful lime, slatey minerality, great depth of flavour balanced with beautiful natural acidity. We love to enjoy this Riesling while fresh, however it also has excellent cellaring potential - up to 20 years.

Despite growing these vines organically since their planting in the 1970s, 2010 marked the first year of NASAA Organic Certification for these vineyards. Martin and Joan Smith and Molloy's vineyards are virtually next to each other in Polish Hill River and consistently produce top quality fruit which highlights the excellence of this sub-region of the Clare Valley. Grey loam acid soils over sandstone and slate make up the profile with much of the top soil littered with rock, proving just how tough the vines need to be to sustain growth and produce quality fruit. It is the slate of Polish Hill River, as opposed to the limestone of Watervale, that gives rise to the point of difference between these styles.