Could Miley Cyrus be a secret Riesling fan? Her song Flowers is currently all over the radio stations and some of the lyrics gave me pause. "I can buy myself flowers" - florality, white flowers are often Riesling descriptors. "Say things you don’t understand" - It often asks questions I cannot answer. "I can take myself dancing" - Riesling typically dances in the mouth. Subtly coded messages perhaps, or just me going ever so slightly bonkers; I’ll let you decide. Do enjoy the Rieslings, though! 2022 Mora Bannockburn Dry Riesling Price RRP $35 Rating Excellent Fruit sweetness, ripe fruits, a herbal note, lime, dry honey, gravelly minerality, lovely and very engaging. The palate is quite dry, again the lime, herb and minerally qualities, nectarine too, with some fruit pithy chewiness adding to the texture. Develops flower petal florality on the palate. Racy, and light on its feet. www.mora.co.nz 2022 Domain Road The Water Race Dry Riesling Price RRP $27 Rating Excellent to outstanding Super florality leads with citrus, nectarine/ peach ripe fruits and touches of spice. Creamily rich palate initially feels a little less dry until the acidity races in on the back half bringing real chewiness. Nice flavour intensity, echoing the nose, lime to the fore with great carry. The palate crisper with time developing appealing lip-smacking zestiness. Moreish. www.domainroad.co.nz 2021 Misha’s Vineyard Lyric Central Otago Riesling Price RRP $34 Rating Excellent Floral notes, fine herbs, lemony citrus, subtlety yet rather engaging, opening up nicely. Richness on the palate with a tiny prickle on the tongue, fruit sweetness evident yet closes relatively dry. Florality again, green apple, excellent balance and integration with the backbone to see this into the future. Great length and draws you in. www.mishasvineyard.com 2022 Hawkshead Central Otago Riesling Price RRP $34 Rating Very good to excellent Fragrant, ripe fruits hinting at stonefruit and apricot, lime citrus. A touch of sweetness on the medium-weight palate mingling honey, herbs and ripe stonefruits while a little fruit pith on the back palate brings this to a just off-dry close. The nose swells beautifully, redolent of summer. The palate fleshes out. This is already drinking very nicely. www.hawksheadwine.com 2020 Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Central Otago Riesling Price RRP $34 Rating Excellent Delicacy to the nose, white flowers, red delicious apple and ripe stonefruits giving a drier impression. Supple, sweeter fruited entry, orange citrus (perhaps tangerine) lending a lovely tangy interplay with the fruit sweetness, adding baked apple and nutty touches as it opens up with a lick of honey on the close. Bright acidity keeps it on its toes. www.mishasvineyard.com 2021 Carrick Bannockburn Organic Dry Riesling Price RRP $28 Rating Very good to excellent Fascinating nose, smoky, almost funky wildness on a backdrop of sweet herbs, florality and a little honeyed influence. Quite dry, taut palate, again that herbal quality, hints of musk and a stony/iron element. Crisp, tangy, developing a bittersweet feel with the addition of almond and a saline note. The dryness more evident with aeration. www.carrick.co.nz
