Rieslingfreak No.2 Polish Hill 2021

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The Vineyards

Fruit for the Eden Valley Riesling is sourced from two vineyards situated between Eden Valley and Flaxman’s Valley. One Riesling vineyard is owned by Michael Mason, situated approximately 3kms north-west of the Eden Valley township. The vineyard is planted on shallow grey sandy loam over shale rock soil, and situated 450m above sea level. The average yearly rainfall is 700mm. The other vineyard is owned by Ben Zander, who is a grower for many well known and regarded Eden Valley Rieslings. The Zander vineyard is situated in Flaxman’s Valley 500m above sea level, soils loam over light medium clay, with high quartz rock and gravel content. The vineyard has a rainfall of approximately 650mm per year.

Worth the Wait

These babies need time! Fermented into being just 6 short months ago these wines are effectively teenagers, all gangly limbs and raging hormones. And much like young humans, the passage of times does amazing things to wine and Riesling is no different from any other variety. In fact I have a large stash of Riesling from around the world from my daughters’ birth years. Waiting for just an extra 12 months and we’ll see this wine settle and give a little more of itself, wait another few years and it’ll be taken to the next level!

The 2021 Vintage at Rieslingfreak

The growing season for 2021 continued the theme of the past few years of being generally warm and dry, with the third warmest spring on record. Rainfall was slightly above average for September and October, ensuring good canopy growth, but the rains abated and were well below average in November creating perfectly mild conditions for flowering and ensuring above average crops. The warm spring gave way to a generally cool and dry summer, with the coolest average temperature since 2001-2002. This gave the vines and easy ride into vintage with low water stress and excellent fruit-set. Several discreet yet significant rain events in January and February kept canopies fresh without prolonged periods of humidity, meaning disease pressure was virtually negligible. As the grapes ripened, cool days and cold nights made for slow ripening, giving the grapes exceptional flavour development at low Baume.

John Hughes

Where in the World is Rieslingfreak

Rieslingfreak has its winery and cellar door based in the Barossa Valley. They source grapes from vineyards in the Clare Valley, Polish Hill River and Eden Valley. Each of these regions and specific vineyards are selected based on their own individual microclimate, the history of the vineyard and the grower’s commitment to their vineyards.