2024 Vickery Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley

The 2024 Watervale Riesling is fresh and talc-like. Clare has the propensity to produce Rieslings that are abundantly aromatic, fleshy in the mouth and full of sweet lime and chalk. This wine is exactly that. It's vibrant, detailed and a little lean in the phenolic department but so attractive here today. Fruit is sourced from five different vineyards across seven different blocks. Drink to 2039.

94 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, July 2025

Even though the Master is no longer with us, great to see wines – Riesling, of course – which follow his technique and which are a genuine tribute to him. This is a blend from various vineyards in the Watervale sub-region, some of which were planted almost fifty years ago. Skin contact is avoided, but a degree of pressings is incorporated back into the final wine. 2024 is a cool, but very fine vintage in Clare. Near transparent yellow, this is beautifully perfumed. A wine of finesse and fragrance, the Master’s hand at work. The aromas include jasmine, lemon, grapefruit, limes and a touch of chalk. A wine which epitomises elegance and delicacy. There is fine minerally acidity, balance and intensity, and a very long finish. Twelve to fifteen years. Drink to 2040.

94 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, April 2025

Pale straw and bright in the glass. Pretty aromas of white flowers, citrus pith, oyster brine, mineral and wet stone. Fresh, crunchy, punchy and vibrant in flavour. There's lovely purity of fruit and drive, with the racy acidity and a touch of grip delivering plenty of length and texture. Smart value. Drink to 2035.

93 points Aaron Brasher for The Real Review, May 2025

Pale with a flash of green in the glass. Pristine aromas of freshly squeezed lime and green apple with hints of clover, citrus blossom, crushed stone, makrut lime and lemongrass. Tautly stretched and mineral-laden, there is some great concentration of lime here and a super nervy, precise finish travelling bone-dry and refreshing. Drink to 2038.

93 points (Special Value) Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2025

A perky wine with lovely crisp green apple flesh, water lilies and aloe. There is cut celery heart and elderflower blossoms too. Some fluffiness to the delicate skin phenolics that feel like a shimmer across the palate. This finishes dry and crunchy with some grapefruit pith and white tea grip on the final note. Excellent value as always and a wine that would be exquisite with bare feet, a grassy knoll and good tunes. Throw in a chicken schnitzel sandwich and it’s a good day indeed. Drink now or will age another 4-5 years further. Drink to 2030.

92 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, April 2025

Vickery Watervale Riesling from Clare Valley is a beautifully crafted cool-climate white wine that showcases the purity, precision, and longevity for which the region’s Rieslings are renowned. Named after the late John Vickery, one of Australia’s most influential Riesling winemakers, this wine continues his legacy under the guidance of chief winemaker Keeda Zilm. Sourced from premium vineyards in the Watervale subregion, known for its limestone-rich soils and cool nights, this Riesling offers vibrant aromatics, crisp acidity, and exceptional balance.

Pale straw in color with green hues, the nose is intensely fragrant, bursting with aromas of lime zest, lemon blossom, and white peach, alongside delicate notes of jasmine and wet slate. The palate is precise and energetic, delivering a mouthwatering combination of citrus, green apple, and mineral-driven complexity. A fine acid backbone ensures structure and drive, leading to a long, clean finish with lingering notes of lime pith and crushed stone.

This Watervale Riesling is a natural match for freshly shucked oysters, grilled prawns, or Thai-spiced seafood. Its bright acidity and mineral edge also complement creamy goat cheese, crisp salads, and lightly spiced Asian dishes. While delicious in its youth for its freshness and vibrancy, it has the potential to evolve over the next 10–15 years, developing richer honeyed and toasty notes.

Fruit for the 2024 Riesling is a sub-regional blend from the vineyards of our dedicated growers. The 2024 growing season was cool, with moderate rainfall, these conditions allowing the fruit to hang a little longer on the vine, as is the Vickery way, without climatic or disease pressure, but facilitating full varietal expression.

After walking the vineyards and tasting for fruit and flavour ripeness, Keeda decided that the first pick would be on March 16th with all fruit off the vines by March 25th – a very compact timeframe. This small window presented idyllic harvesting conditions with the cool, dry nights that Clare is famous for. Immediately after harvest, the fruit was taken to the winery at Watervale for pressing to avoid extended skin contact. The Vickery style utilises pressings material in the final blend to add flavour to the wine, with the press-cut happening a lot earlier than normal to retain flavour without bitter phenolics.