2021 Foudre Ferment Riesling

TASTING NOTES

Colour: Pale straw with flashes of silver.
Bouquet: Layered aromas of honeydew, apricot blossom, citrus rind, wet stone and almond meal. Complex and inviting.
Palate: Viscous flavours of lemon curd and lime pith. The crunchy minerality balances the richness for a long finish.
Cellaring: The aromatic characteristics of this wine are best appreciated in the short to medium term, but this wine will gain complexity over the next ten years or so.
Pairing: Try it with steamed Barramundi. Drink now to 2042.
Vintage: An excellent season with near perfect growing conditions right through to harvest. Adequate winter and spring rainfalls set the wines up to burst into life and sustain beautifully balanced growth throughout the summer. Autumn was ideal with little rainfall and warm conditions to ensure the grapes matured gracefully.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Region: Great Western, Victoria
Grape Variety: Riesling
Alcohol: 11.5%
Winemaker: Justin Purser

This wine is the successor of the very well received 2012 EVT 51. The 2012 was the inaugural wine of this style from Best’s, but it is reflective of the way Riesling was made here in the 1970s and earlier.

The aromatic Riesling juice is given extended skin contact then wild fermented in large French oak foudre (barrels), one made by Marc Grenier in France and the other by the Schneckenleitner family in Austria. The resultant wine exhibits both the complexities of a barrel ferment and spontaneous fermentation without the overt oak flavour, due to the large size and subtlety of the foudre.

REVIEWS

Haliday Wine Companion – Jeni Port – March 2022
A wine style that started a minor revolution in Australia when it was first made, with extended skin contact, wild fermentation and maturation on lees in foudre. Each vintage it tingles and impresses and in a good year like 2021, it excels. Jasmine florals, bergamot, lime cordial, lemon curd and peach-skin aromas. A wine of some complexity and nuance, featuring bright, vibrant fruits, soft mealy texture with a hint of savouriness. Seamless and sustained. 96 Points – 2023 Halliday Wine Companion, Wine of the Year

The Real Review, Huon Hooke – Jan 2022
Vibrant lemon-fresh zesty aromas, bright and youthful, with creamy yeast lees overtones, cashew nut and spice notes from the barrel ferment, the palate soft and rich with delicacy and refinement appropriate to a young Riesling but also with texture and fleshiness. A lovely wine. Drink now to 2033. Rating: 93 points

Australian Wine Guide, Clive Hartley – Feb 2022
For me inflicting Riesling to extended skin contract, wild fermentation in a large oak foudre could well set alarm bells ringing. But I love this wine. It has a complex nose with honey, orange blossom, wet stone and a hint of lees. The palate is dry, textured and firm but supported by some lemon pith driven acidity, more orange rind flavours and a long finish. It achieves the right balance between building complexity, whilst maintaining some varietal characteristics. Buy it before it is sold out. Rating: Outstanding

DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTES

Hamish Thomson explains our 2021 Foudre Ferment Riesling in detail in the video below.