2011 Clonakilla Riesling Auslese 10%
Canberra District, screwcap (half bottle)
Light gold colour, apple, baked apple, sweet spice, stonefruits. Still fresh, with a viscous, honeyed, textured palate, peach, dash of apricot, limes, and persistence. Clonakilla’s Rieslings (from winemaker Tim Kirk) are under-appreciated, and this sweet wine (from a very wet year) surely has some complexing botrytis. I previously reviewed this wine in 2019, and it has surpassed my expected lifespan; albeit the descriptors and score are pretty similar. Very smart, and supports a recommendation to seek out the unusual small-batch releases from Clonakilla.
Drink to 2031, 93 points
1998 Gehrig Vintage Port 18.1%
Rutherglen
Good, cork, lots of sediment; developed colour but decent for age. Not the first Rutherglen producer that comes to mind for the style, but spices, chocolate and mocha, sweet fruit (100% Shiraz) and sweet brandy spirit with some dried fruits (orange peel) in the mix. Luxurious and a little alcohol heat forgiven with the fruit concentration, as everything was in a delicious drinking window.
Drink to 2033, and 92 points.
A careful decant was necessary to remove some of the heavy deposit, and its a slightly old-fashioned style, where the spirit is a bit prominent and the sweetness is slightly overdone. But we’re not all clairvoyant, and this 24 year old wine provided an overload of drinking pleasures, and another 10 years will not diminish its enjoyments.
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