REVIEW: Hints of buttered toast, marmalade and kerosene

If there's one white wine to which an extra year or two's age really makes a difference, it's riesling.

While young riesling can be fresh and crisp with hints of lime, a year or so allows a good riesling to develop a wonderful richness, sometimes described as buttered toast with marmalade, and sometimes as kerosene or petrol.

Riesling can be bone dry or unctuously sweet or anywhere in between, but good riesling is always in balance, finishing with a crisp, steely acidity.

Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz

---

Waimea Dry Nelson Riesling 2005 (about $18) At three years old this is drinking deliciously, suggesting lively fruit with a hint of mineral, and the richness of buttered toast and marmalade developing on the aftertaste.

A stylish wine with a crisp intensity, and a lovely lingering aftertaste.

**** 4 stars (out of 5)

 

---

Spinyback Nelson Riesling 2007 (about $15) also from Waimea hints of grapefruit, lime and tropical fruit, with a suggestion of honeysuckle.

It's off-dry with a crisp, bright finish.

***1/2 3 1/2 stars

 

---

Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Marlborough Riesling 2007 (about $19) oozes tropical fruit, lime and apricot with the bright intensity of a good marmalade, and crisp, lively finish.

***1/2 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

 

---

Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Riesling 2006 (about $20) exudes lovely bright juicy fruit - orange, lemon, grapefruit and stone fruit, with a rich suggestion of buttered toast and lime marmalade.

At two years old this is a stylish wine, drinking deliciously with a long, crisp but well-balanced aftertaste.

**** 4 stars (out of 5)

 

---

Sileni The Don Hawkes Bay Riesling 2007 (about $25) is a classic case of riesling that needs bottle age.

Initially it appears a fresh, simple wine hinting of lime and mineral with a searing, dry finish.

However, next day it was starting to develop a richer intensity, hints of apricot and a suggestion of buttered toast. Promising.

***1/2 31/2 stars (out of 5)

 

---

Jacobs Creek Steingarten Barossa Riesling 2005 (about $32) is one of Australia's classic rieslings, grown in the hills above the Barossa.

It's stylish, rich and mouth-filling with suggestions of lime, tropical fruit, apple mint and creaminess, all bound up in a tight intensity and a crisp finish with a long aftertaste.

Best with food.

**** 4 stars (out of 5)