2025 Vanguardist La Cote Riesling

92 pts
Searing, textural Riesling from the Clare Valley.

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Sale price$40.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Michael Corbett’s La Côte Riesling takes Clare Valley’s signature variety somewhere new. It's a more textural, more savoury style, far from the straight-up and down versions the region is best known for.

Sourced from the dry-grown, western-facing La Côte vineyard in the Watervale sub-region of the Clare Valley. Hand-picked fruit was foot-crushed and roughly settled before being divided between three vessels: one-third Hungarian amphora, one-third new Austrian foudre, and one-third stainless steel. It was then left on lees with full malo to build texture and roundness.

The result is a Riesling that’s as much about feel as flavour - lime and grapefruit pith meet honeycomb and elderflower, all carried by fine mineral acidity and a gentle tannin line. It’s layered and savoury but still unmistakably Clare at its core.

A beautifully individual take on the region’s hero grape - lively, detailed and built for both early pleasure and a few years’ evolution in the cellar.

92 points
"It’s nutty, a little creamy, but has a firm attack of green apple acidity with a sort of kombucha tang to it, has a chalky and stony texture, and offers a finish of some zip and good length."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Gary Walsh

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front 92 Points

Hand-picked on 8 Feb from Harper & Dickson Vineyard (sits in a triangle over Watervale, Penwortham and Skilly Valley). Foot-crushed as whole bunches and held on skins for several hours before pressing. 1⁄3 Hungarian Amphora, 1⁄3 new Austrian Foudre and 1⁄3 stainless steel tank. Held on gross lees where natural malolactic fermentation occurred during the winter months. As ever with Vanguardist, it’s all in the little details.

It’s not your run-of-the-mill Riesling, that’s for sure, and quite different in style. Lime, apple, mint, creamed honey and beeswax, a light floral perfume. It’s nutty, a little creamy, but has a firm attack of green apple acidity with a sort of kombucha tang to it, has a chalky and stony texture, and offers a finish of some zip and good length. It’s a bit on the sour side of things, certainly dry and crunchy, but has heaps of interest. Needs food to show its best side.

Marcus Ellis

Marcus Ellis

Halliday Wine Companion 94 Points

Labelled as Watervale but described as being ‘in a triangle that flanks the Watervale, Penwortham and Skilly Valley subregions’. This was picked early, with whole bunches foot trod, then pressed to tank; new Austrian foudre and Hungarian amphora, a third to each. It’s a savoury thing – nutty, saline, pithy and chalky. Beeswax, dried lime and chamomile tea are barely enhanced with honey, lemon membrane and pressed wildflowers. It’s mouth-puckering, sinewy, taut, yet complex; ghostly in its flavour rather than fleshed out, but the haunting is friendly. Michael Corbett isn’t making wines for a market, or for anyone else. Ease into it. Get the intent, and the joy comes.

La Côte, meaning 'the slope' is an east facing, dry grown and own rooted vineyard. Historically Michael handles Riesling as well as he handles Grenache. Handpicked, foot crushed and rough racked to ⅓ Hungarian Amphora, ⅓ new Austrian Foudre and ⅓ stainless steel. Lime, elderflower, and honeycomb are lifted by bright mineral acidity, complemented a creamy mouthfeel and a delicate thread of tannin.

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type White
Body Light Bodied
Variety Riesling
Country Australia
Region Clare Valley
Australian State SA
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Cork

Vanguardist

Vanguardist is an up and coming producer from McLaren Vale started by three friends after many long nights in Hawkes Bay talking about their shared love of wine.

Their mission is to bring premium, authentic, small-batch wines to a market they see as crowded by "overly commercialised wines produced by corporates who take up all the elbow room."

They source very high-quality fruit from great vineyards across South Australia, looking to build wines with texture and vibrancy.

With experienced winemaker Michael Corbett at the helm, the future looks bright for this plucky challenger brand.

Winemaker Michael Corbett Vanguardist

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