2026 Rieslingfreak No. 8 Schatzkammer Polish Hill River Riesling

97 pts
One of Australia's premier sweet Rieslings, and one of the most delicious wines we've tasted this year!

Price:
Sale price$35.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

One of the great things about Riesling is that you can mould it into any form you like. Want it dry? Ferment it dry. Want it sweet? You can have that too...

John Hughes loves Riesling in all its forms and guises.

The No. 8 is modelled off the German Kabinett style, sourced from a tiny 0.4ha planting - Block "D6" - tucked into a cool gully on the Jaeschke family's Polish Hill River vineyard. It's picked well before the rest of the site to preserve searing natural acidity, then the ferment is arrested exactly where John wants the balance of sugar and acid to sit.

This vintage's punchy flavour and racy acidity have made for one of the most exciting Schatzkammers yet. This is the most intense of the sweeter wines in the range, and you can tell from the first sniff - sherbety, floral and full of ripe tropical fruit. Low in alcohol, luscious and sweet up front, before a searing, almost electric line of acidity comes in and cuts straight through it. That tug-of-war between succulent sweetness and blistering acid is the whole magic trick of this style, and few in the country pull it off as well as this.

Sweet yet refreshing all at once - this is one of the top-of-the-pile sweeter-styled Rieslings in the country.

97 points
"Firstly, if you were drinking this style in Germany, at this level of quality, you'd likely be in the vicinity of five times this price."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

97 points - "Firstly, if you were drinking this style in Germany, at this level of quality, you'd likely be in the vicinity of five times this price. That aside, this is a decidedly and dedicated medium-sweet style of riesling, delivering the glossy sheen of honey on green apple skin. It has a perfume and palate of jasmine tea, lavender, candied citrus peel and cumquat. Highly perfumed, wonderfully evocative of its intended style, with precision in texture, weight and harmony of fruit, electric acidity and residual sugar. Bring on that chalky pucker to finish. Superb." - Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion)

Customer Reviews

2026 Clare Valley
Sourced from our Polish Hill River vineyard, situated 5km South-East of the Clare township. The vineyard is owned by Rob and Lyn Jaeschke, who purchased the vineyard from Penfolds in 2010. The vineyard is on grey-brown loam, over sandy limestone and shale rock. Riesling Block “D6” which is specially selected for the No.8 is a tiny planting of just 0.4 ha, situated in a small gully bordered by a steep hill to the North, and the tree-lined bank of a creek to the South. The vines are approximately 20 years old, planted on 44-year-old root stock and are planted in an East-West direction.

A year like 2026 which is marked by refined elegance, punchy flavours and an abundance of electric acidity, provides for an exciting vintage for our iconic “Schatzkammer” Riesling. The bouquet is sweetly scented with aromas of lemon sherbet, guava and hibiscus, which carry through onto the lusciously flavoured palate. This wine is low in alcohol, with a finely-tuned balance of succulent residual sweetness and crackling acidity that balances perfectly on a knife edge of precision. The luscious sweetness flows across the tip of the tongue, carrying with it an array of sweet tropical and zesty citrus flavours, before seamlessly giving way to a line of electric acidity that drives the length of the palate to a clean, crisp finish. The perfect play of succulent sweetness versus zingy acidity is the ultimate hallmark of the very best examples of this unique style of Riesling.

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type White
Body Light Bodied
Variety Riesling
Variety Style ["Sweet Riesling"]
Country Australia
Region Clare Valley
Australian State SA
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 97
Alcohol 9%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2026
Closure Screw Cap

Rieslingfreak

Rieslingfreak founder & winemaker John Hughes is quite simply making the most comprehensive, high-quality and remarkably priced range of Rieslings in the country.

Growing up in the family Riesling vineyard in Clare Valley, which John still farms today, Riesling simply runs through this man's blood. John, with the help of his talented winemaking wife Belinda, make only Riesling - not a bottle of any other variety - and they've honed their craft to a level unmatched in Australia.

They are two of the nicest people you're likely to meet, so wholeheartedly committed to their vision and craft, and we are proud to have worked so closely with them for so many years. These wines rank amongst the very best value to be found anywhere in Australia, and we give them our fullest recommendation. Enjoy!

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