2023 Dukes Magpie Hill Reserve Porongurup Riesling, Great Southern

Now firmly established as one of a handful of Australia's greatest rieslings. This is another beautiful wine. It's slightly friendlier than the awesome '22, but lacks nothing in intensity and drive. Fine lift of wet granite, crunchy quartz and fine lemon and spicy pear on the nose. The palate is so complex and intricately woven with passionfruit, guava, green apple skin and light talcy bath salts. Fine with a precise fine acidity extending to a relentless finish. Drink to 2038.

97 points Ray Jordan

The 2023 Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling is so, so pretty on the nose, almost achingly so. It offers notes of lime blossom, crushed rocks, jasmine flower, tamarind, saffron, a hint of mustard seed, white pepper, juniper berry, apple cider apples (actually, more specifically, there is an aroma in here reminiscent of the "tang!" in scrumpy cider) and curry leaf—I could go on. In the mouth, the wine is concentrated and intense. The acid would almost hurt were it not for the slew of juicy, saliva-inducing salty characters in there. It is detailed, nuanced and exciting. Juicy. Drink 2023 to 2037.

96 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, December 2023

Intense lemon-verbena, freshly rolled pastry and nettle aromas, the palate light-bodied and very tangy with prominent acidity, the fruit intense and crisp, delicate and refined, with a very long finale. Drink 2023 to 2038.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, August 2023

Acid hounds, line up! This is a brittle and tense riesling of super limey/tart lemony flavour profile, a very compact, rapier-like thrust across the palate and vividly refreshing. Skeletal and bony, it's terrifically taut and precise with excellent flavour extension. Drinking this in its vivid youth delivers a tightly wound expression; cellaring should deliver a more mellow, relaxed wine. For now, strap in, it's goosebumps stuff with its citrus impact, but great for it, too. Drink 2023 to 2035.

94 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, December 2023

The 2023 Riesling Magpie Hill Reserve is a powerhouse yet remains understated, with focused aromas of freshly cut lime, pear and wet stone, accented by a gentle dusting of crushed spices. The palate is full flavored and backed by a burst of tangy acidity that carries through to a strong, youthful finish. It has just begun to show a touch of lanolin secondary complexity. Drink 2029 to 2038.

94 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, January 2026

Lime leaves, citrus blossoms and green apples on the nose of this cool, zesty white. It’s medium-bodied, citrusy and refreshing. Bone dry and pristine. Drink or hold.

93 points James Suckling, February 2025

Duke's Vineyard was planted in 1999 by founders Duke and Hilde Ranson on a ten-hectare site nestled against the ancient granite of the Porongurup Range in Western Australia's Great Southern — a landscape of towering rock formations and native forest that is as dramatic as it is remote. The 2017 Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling was the first white wine ever awarded 99 points by the Halliday Wine Companion and named their Australian Wine of the Year. Experienced winemaker Ben Cane and his partner Sarah Date purchased the property in 2022 and have continued the estate's remarkable standard without missing a beat.

The Porongurups rise abruptly from the surrounding farmland in a series of vast granite outcrops. The visually arresting landscape is viticulturally distinctive with granitic sandy clay loams draining freely while retaining moisture. The cool climate and diurnal temperature variations extend the growing season and build the mineral tension and precise acidity that define Riesling from this site.

The 2023 produced tiny yields after a cool, wet spring disrupted flowering. What the season lacked in volume it gave back in concentration and complexity. Fruit was hand-harvested in late March, whole bunch pressed to minimise colour and tannin pick up. The free-run juice was fermented primarily in stainless steel, but a small portion went through well-seasoned oak barrels for textural elements. The blended wine had a two-month rest on lees before bottling in June.

The result is a wine of intensity and precision. The nose shows fragrant lime blossom, jasmine, crushed rocks and a complex interplay of citrus peel, white pepper and mineral salinity. The palate is concentrated and taut, with a bright, driving acidity that feels almost electric, balanced by a saline juiciness that keeps the wine from ever feeling harsh. Detailed, nuanced and with a finish of exceptional length.

The wine's citrus intensity and saline minerality will find seafood a natural partner. Try kingfish sashimi with yuzu or chawanmushi.

Built to develop for well over a decade. Drink now through 2037.