Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2021
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
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Australian Wine -
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Wine
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Watervale Riesling has all the hallmarks of a classic Clare Valley Riesling; with fresh cut citrus, lemon grass, yellow peach and white florals on the nose. On the palate, it has a firm acid drive, with an abundance of citrus, white peach, honey dew melons, gooseberries and a fresh lime finish.
Blend: 100% Riesling
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Where the 2020 Watervale Riesling is rich and powerful, this 2021 Watervale Riesling is totally in line with the cool and excellent season that was 2021. Mineral, cohesive, harmonious, long and complex, this punches way above its weight as a value wine and shows the concentration and succulence of Clare Valley hand in glove with the taut, citrus acidity. Smart plus.
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James Suckling
Aromas of apple, sliced pear and lime, as well as a gently spicy and floral thread. The palate has flavors that range from lime to white peach. Very juicy and attractive. Acidity is a feature. Drink or hold.
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Australian Wine Companion
You've gotta love 2021. Yes. Laser-fine acidity courses across the palate, leaving ice-skate tracks in its wake. The fruit is all about desert lime and Pink Lady apples. Again – yes.
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Wine Enthusiast
Clean, fresh and delicately aromatic, this classic Clare Riesling, from one of the region’s best-known producers, offers notes of lime sorbet and honeysuckle with a stony mineral note beneath. Still a baby, it’s a dry, crisp racy style that shouldn’t be drunk too chilled. Pair with a spicy Thai curry.
Other Vintages
2019-
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
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Australian Wine
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Spirits
Wine &
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Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert
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Spectator
Wine
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
The Clare Valley is actually a series of narrow north to south valleys, each with a different soil type and slightly different weather patterns along their stretch. In the southern heartland between Watervale and Auburn, there is mainly a crumbled, red clay loam soil called terra rossa and cool breezes come in from Gulf St. Vincent. A few miles north, in Polish Hill, is soft, red loam over clay; westerlies blowing in from the Spencer Gulf influece this area's climate.
The differences in soil, elevation, degree of slope and weather enable the region to produce some of Australia’s finest, aromatic, spicy and lime-pithy Rieslings, as well as excellent Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with ripe plummy fruit, good acid and big structure.
Clare Valley is an isolated farming country with a continental climate known for its warm and sunny days, followed by cool nights—perfect for wine grapes’ development of sugar and phenolic ripeness in conjunction with notable acidity levels.