2018 Crawford River Expression #1 Riesling
Henty, VIC
Something new and delicious from Crawford River - oak aged Riesling with extensive time on lees, adding texture, nuttiness and power to the perfume and mineral crunch that epitomises one of the country's greatest white wine producers.
$77.00
Out of Stock
It’s lavish, it’s so very complex, so very interesting, so very good.
Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
About The Wine
New is not always good. Look at what happened to New Coke. But a new generation brings new life and new ideas. And Belinda Thomson, daughter of the founding Thomsons of Crawford River, has added a new dimension to their exquisite range of Rieslings.
Inspired by overseas winemakers Belinda took some precious Riesling and aged it for over two years in large neutral oak, with a lot of that time the fruit resting on its lees (the expired yeast cells from fermentation). That is a long time in barrel for an aromatic white!
It still retains aromatic prettiness with fresh citrus and white flowers apparent. But the palate is all complex savouriness and nutty oxidative characters supported by a crackingly saline acid backbone. Salted cashews, bruised apples and other sexy foodstuffs are also in the house.
A brilliant, fascinating debut release that is still an infant in Riesling terms.
About The Producer
Crawford River is very much a family operation. The talented Thomson clan have been producing wine from their beautiful home vineyard since 1985.
The Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc thrive on the estate, but it's Riesling that they are most famous for.
They produce a range of styles of varying ages that are outstanding. Many consider them as one of the country's premier producers of the noble variety.
These are wines of purity and elegance. Small-batch, family-owned, traditional winemaking and good, honest farming is at the core of everything Crawford River does.
Henty, VIC
From The Producer
This new Riesling project is the result of a desire to constantly strive for high quality wines while extending some winemaking boundaries. After tasting some magnificent Rieslings that had been fermented in old oak and then left to age, Belinda decided to attempt this with our fruit.
Unlike anything Crawford River has produced before, but this wine still bares the unmistakable hallmarks of the Crawford River site. A restrained nose shows delicate florals, citrus and a mineral quality. These characters continue throughout the palate, combining with great texture and depth of savoury complexity from the 2 years in neutral oak and extended time on lees. Almond husk, oatmeal, dried grass and spice. It is a wonderful amalgam of fruit, subtle oak and lees complexity, with none dominating the other component. This wine is still in its infancy and will continue to develop for many years to come. It requires some time in the glass to open fully and should be served closer to room temperature than our younger Rieslings.
Blend : Riesling (100%)
ABV : 13.50%
Closure : Screw Cap
Drink Until : 2032
Bottle Size : 750ml
Henty, VIC
Critic Reviews
"It’s great to see some for the second generation influence in a few of the Great Riesling Houses of Australia coming through, with Frankland Estate eking out Alter Weg and now Crawford River releasing this thoughtfully produced new release that likewise uses barrel fermentation and lees to enhance high quality riesling fruit. It’s kindred to Crawford River’s riesling staples in intensity, concentration and presence in the glass, but this is a whole new thing. A wild expression with quality writ large, but this isn’t for purists, let’s say, unless oxidative, nutty-savoury wines of Jura or lo-fi Burgundy comes to mind readily, as it shares kindred space with wines of that ilk, in some ways. While not wholly in an eccentric camp it’s just strikingly different to Crawford River’s detail and purity with riesling; there’s salted cashew, sourdough yeasty notes, toffee apple characters and of course the citrus, floral and apple that fills the DNA of the vineyard’s staple characters. Acidity is saline, coursing with energy and incredibly refreshing in this wine. Texture is taut, slightly gummy like wet chalk and excellent. Flavours are bold, as is the perfume. It’s lavish, it’s so very complex, so very interesting, so very good. Give it time in a decanter, don’t drink too cold." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
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