I was chatting to a Riesling-loving friend at a wee soiree recently and he bemoaned having cellared some older dry Kiwi Rieslings back in the day when the accepted thinking was that they would age with grace. Sadly that was not always the case with some just becoming ungraciously shrill. For all that, he still adores Riesling, though now leans to the sweeter spectrum. Riesling can have that fascination, also making me a life-long lover of the variety, while these days both the dry and the sweeter versions really can age with grace. 2020 Astrolabe The Farm Marlborough Dry Riesling Price RRP $30 Rating Excellent Fragrant nose, honey shifts to musk, a fruit pith character, lime accented citrus, beeswax comes with aeration. Dry, almost crunchy palate, racy acidity, red apple, sour worms, dry honey, that musky element reappears. Lovely flavour intensity here yet remains light on its feet, a prickly touch in the mouth. A long, appley, salivatory finish. www.astrolabewines.co.nz 2021 Craggy Range Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Martinborough Riesling Price RRP $31.95 Rating Very Good to Excellent Youthful nose, some yeast esters, wisps of lime cordial, spice, flower petal, honeyed notes with time. Some fruit pith crunchiness adds to the texture, while fruit pastille-like sweet fruit creates contrast with the otherwise dry palate. Again, good flavour depth yet lightness. Invitingly zesty with the flavours carrying nicely on to the long close. www.craggyrange.com 2021 Valli Waitaki Vineyard Riesling Price RRP $34.50 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Fascinating nose, chalk dust, a wisp of lanolin, apple, acid drops, a sense of volume, apple skin & wet stone with time. Depth and richness here, countered by a drying core, a shaft of racy acidity running through this. Again, that chalky quality, picking up notes of dry honey and lime zest. Long, lime-accented close. One to watch in the cellar I suspect. www.valliwine.com 2019 Main Divide North Canterbury Riesling Price RRP $20.99 Rating Excellent Honeyed notes, wisps of struck match, even a touch of kero, fruit cordial, apple. Spritz/prickle gives liveliness to the palate, there’s a tiny funky nuance before a flood of fruit flavour rushes in. There’s lovely balance between the sweetness, acidity and flavour intensity that gives this super drinkability off the bat. Generosity of flavour. www.maindivide.com 2021 Carrick Josephine Organic Bannockburn Riesling Price RRP $34 Rating Excellent A waxy quality, lime zest, jasmine like florality, a little shy but opening out. The residual sugar gives richness and weight to this, yet it’s not overtly sweet. Red apple, spice, hints of rose petal, lemony nuances, picking up some orange notes with aeration. The acidity brings freshness, quite moreish and appealing with some chewy grip on the close adding interest. www.carrick.co.nz 2022 Riverby Estate Sali’s Block Single Vineyard Marlborough Riesling Price RRP $22 Rating Very Good to Excellent Apple, boiled sweets, dry honey, developing musk & wet stone notes. Intriguing palate, waxy, green apple, stony minerality with a bittersweet counterpoint between the sweetness and acidity. Still quite youthful but feels like this might drink best young. Zesty & refreshing, the honeyed characters growing on the palate as it opens. www.riverbyestate.com
