2022 Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Riesling
2022 Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Riesling

2022 Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Riesling

97 pts SUCKLING TOP 100
Jim Barry |Clare Valley |Riesling
A unique Clare Valley Riesling born from the Loosen-Barry friendship, combining old-vine fruit, long lees ageing and German craftsmanship for a textured, age-worthy style.
Price:
$112.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 5 units left
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Description

Wolta Wolta is the ongoing collaboration between two Riesling heavyweights – Ernst Loosen from Germany’s Mosel Valley and the Barry family of Clare. What began as a friendship in the 1990s has turned into one of the most fascinating cross-hemisphere partnerships in wine, with each release pushing the boundaries of what Australian Riesling can be.

The fruit comes from Block 18 of the Lodge Hill vineyard in Clare, planted back in 1979 on slate and clay soils nearly a billion years old. In 2022, the grapes were left hanging a little longer on the vine for extra flavour and ripeness before being fermented in a giant German oak fuder, then left on lees for close to two years. It’s a nod to classic Mosel winemaking, reimagined in Clare Valley conditions.

The result is a dry Riesling of real depth and texture – savoury, structured and built to age, but already showing layers of fruit, spice and mineral detail. It’s not a wine made to fit into neat categories, but one that shows what can happen when two great families follow their curiosity and respect for the variety.

96 points
"Whoa, there's lots going on here, all harmonious, powerful and precise. What a wine!"
- Mike Bennie (Wine Companion)

Ryan Montgomery

Ryan Montgomery

James Suckling 96 Points

Mineral aromas of Asian pears, peaches, white nectarines, sliced lemons and kaffir limes. The high-tension palate has racy acidity and an energetic mouthfeel with a lovely texture and reductive edge, showing slate, struck match, brine and white flowers as well as a slight phenolic grip. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Erin Larkin

Erin Larkin

The Wine Advocate 97 Points

The 2022 Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Dry Riesling is looking more refined and capacious as they years wear on, and here today, the wine is littered with milk arrowroot biscuits, white pepper, preserved citrus peel, beeswax and freshly pressed linen. The length is impressive, and the textural palate offers much in the way of physical presence, as well as serving to draw out the fruit over the long finish. It's a lovely wine, and so smooth in the mouth. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Mike Bennie

Mike Bennie

Halliday Wine Companion 96 Points

The Dr Loosen and Jim Barry Wines collaboration continues with this release. Sosucculent and mouth-watering with distinct, waxy texture, lively tonic water and pink grapefruit zestiness, red apple, light gingery spice elements, lemon-honey tea notes, white balsamic lift and pleasing cashew and almond savouriness underlying. Whoa, there's lots going on here, all harmonious, powerful and precise. What a wine!

Hion Hooke

Hion Hooke

The Real Review 94 Points

Bright, light colour in the glass—youthful, especially for a 2022. The bouquet is lifted, aerial, with a trace of volatile acidity which may indicate a wild ferment. Spicy, attractive, with a spiky, nettly note. A finesse wine, with a long, seamless follow-through. This is different—and very appealing.

Gary Walsh

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front 94 Points

Green apple, lime rind, spice, something of a ginger biscuit thing here too, aniseed and dried flowers. It’s textured and quite powerful, lime gin and tonic, lots of chalk and grip, savoury too, with a chewy finish of excellent length. Tactile and tangy, stony and dry. Very good.

The Remarkable Friendship
The remarkable and enduring friendship between Mosel superstar Ernst Loosen of Dr. Loosen fame and Clare Valley legends the Barry family goes back some 30 years, to 1995 and the London Wine Fair. 1995 was the peak era of Aussie wine taking the UK wine trade by storm. Big brands such as Lindeman’s, Wolf Blass and Penfolds were fresh(ish) on the scene and making waves in what was once the epicentre of the stuffy and long-established wine world.

The UK, and London in particular, has a long and fabled history with the wine trade where old traditional merchants and traders have been brokering deals and trading wine for centuries. Friendships have been brokered and broken over that time too, but the fresh-faced Aussies set about dismantling the established status quo with their new wave, forward-thinking modern approach and their outgoing personalities, changing the face of the world of wine forever.

Whereas many of the original ‘brands’ that established Aussie wines as a mainstay for the British palate have morphed into being the playthings of international conglomerates, Jim Barry Wines remains staunchly independent and family run. Jim Barry himself was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, graduating from Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. Third-generation growers Sam and Tom Barry recently took over the reins of the family business from their father, Peter. Sam and Tom remain as committed to exploration today as the family have been for the 80 years that came before them.

The Dr. Loosen Estate dates back well over 200 years, but under the auspices of Ernst it has gone on to become a beacon of light for not only Riesling, but for discovery, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, and generally striving to make things better and more interesting for the wine lover whether they hail from Germany, Australia, the USA, Portugal or France—all countries where Erni has struck up relationships with like-minded growers and either has his own winery or a collaboration on the go.

Fast forward to today and, sprouting from a mutual respect and deep admiration for the noble variety Riesling, Ernst and the Barry crew not only remain great friends, but they also have a now well-established collaboration coming out of the Clare Valley in the guise of their brilliant LoosenBarry project (see what they did there...). A project representing German craftsmanship expressed through the lens of Australian terroir.

Fueled by passion, camaraderie, shared wisdom, and a collective love for Riesling, this project weaves together two strong family narratives, experiences, and the bonds of friendship. The project has steadily evolved as the inquisitive nature of Erni and the Barry boys continues to be fostered. Whilst the early releases saw a wine from the Clare and a wine from the Mosel telling the LoosenBarry tale, today we see the next stages of progress as the two wines from the LoosenBarry stable now hail exclusively from the Clare Valley.

The 6th commercial release of the deep, cerebral and exhilarating Wolta Wolta Riesling—hailing from the 2022 harvest—has a new thirst-quenching bedfellow in the form of the inaugural release of Slate Hill Riesling, coming out of the 2023 growing season.

The Vineyard
Originally a pastoral run dating back to 1839, Jim Barry purchased a parcel of land in the area known as ‘Wolta Wolta’ in 1977, as he was sure it would “produce some of the best Riesling in the Clare Valley.” Later renamed The Lodge Hill, it is situated 480 metres above sea level, on the eastern ranges of the Clare Valley, on brown loam over clay and slate bedrock, which dates back roughly 900 million years.

The vines are exposed to concentrated bursts of sunlight and cool nights which encourage slower ripening.

The Wines
The LoosenBarry collaboration has always been about pushing boundaries, taking risks, and elevating the profile of what we believe to be the most noble grape variety—Riesling. Wolta Wolta was the first expression of this vision. Our experience with this wine inspired us to create a second wine under the LoosenBarry partnership: Slate Hill.

After 10 years of making Wolta Wolta, we began to understand how Australian-grown Riesling performs when aged on gross lees in oak. Naturally, we became curious about how the wine would evolve when aged on lees in stainless steel. Over several vintages, we observed a similar development in texture and flavour between the two wines, though Slate Hill retained more of its approachable, ripe stone fruit character, while Wolta Wolta leaned towards being more savoury and complex.

At that point, we decided to expand the LoosenBarry offering. In February 2023, during Erni’s annual visit to Clare, we selected two additional blocks from our Wolta Wolta property with similar soil composition and exposure to the original Riesling block.

Fortuitously, 2023 turned out to be the perfect vintage to begin. It was the latest Riesling harvest we’ve had since the outstanding 2017 vintage, allowing for extended hang time and, in turn, enhanced aroma and phenolic maturity.

– Sam Barry

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Riesling
Country Australia
Region Clare Valley
Australian State SA
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
The Real Review
The Wine Advocate
James Suckling
Critic Score 97
96
94
Alcohol 12.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Screw Cap

Jim Barry

Jim Barry Wines is a family affair in the Clare Valley.

Founded by one of SA's most influential wine figures, this producer has been one of the most acclaimed in the region since it began in 1974.

They focus primarily on traditional Clare Valley varieties, with a myriad of laser-sharp Rieslings, powerful Shiraz and intense Cabernet blends making up the foundations of the range. With a sprawling range including everything from super-premium to top value, they are considered a cornerstone of the Clare with classic wines that develop beautifully in the cellar given time.

Now, with the third generation of Barrys - Sam, Tom and Olivia - now in charge of the winemaking, marketing and business development, there is a new energy about the brand and there are plenty of exciting new things on the horizon.

Peter, Tom & Sam Barry - Clare Valley Jim Barry

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