2024 Wilson Polish Hill River Riesling, Clare Valley

Wilson Polish Hill River Riesling is a pure, uncompromising expression of one of Australia’s greatest Riesling sites and a benchmark wine of the Clare Valley. Polish Hill River sits at higher elevation in the southern part of the valley, cooler and more exposed than Watervale, with thin, rocky soils over slate and schist. These demanding conditions naturally limit yields and produce Riesling of piercing acidity, mineral intensity and extraordinary longevity.

The wine is made by Daniel Wilson, who farms and vinifies fruit from the family’s Polish Hill River vineyard, planted in the 1960s and long regarded as one of the region’s elite Riesling sites. Daniel Wilson’s approach is deliberately minimal and deeply traditional. Fruit is picked early to preserve acidity, fermented cool in stainless steel, and bottled without oak influence. Nothing is done to soften, round or embellish the wine. The goal is absolute clarity of vineyard and vintage, and a wine built to age rather than to flatter.

Aromatically, this is textbook Polish Hill River. Intense lime zest, lemon juice and kaffir lime leaf dominate, followed by green apple, white florals and a strong slate driven minerality. With air, subtle notes of talc, wet stone and crushed rock emerge, adding depth while maintaining laser focus and purity.

On the palate, the wine is razor sharp and linear. Lime and citrus flavours drive from start to finish, carried by bracing natural acidity that delivers extraordinary length and energy. The texture is fine, chalky and precise rather than broad, finishing bone dry, mouthwatering and relentless. This is Riesling with no padding and no compromise, all tension, drive and persistence.

This is a wine made for serious cellaring. While thrilling in its youth, Wilson Polish Hill River Riesling truly comes into its own with time. Over ten to twenty years it will develop classic toast, lime marmalade and subtle honeyed complexity while retaining its structural spine. At the table, it is superb with oysters, fresh seafood, Asian dishes or anything that benefits from acidity and lift.

Wilson Polish Hill River Riesling is intense, focused and deeply site driven, shaped by Daniel Wilson’s intimate knowledge of this historic vineyard. It remains one of Australia’s great Rieslings and a must have for lovers of precision, longevity and terroir.