Alkoomi Black Label Riesling 2021
-
Australian Wine
Companion -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This dry, estate-grown Riesling demonstrates Australia’s well-recognized lime and slate characteristics. Vines planted in 1971 in Alkoomi’s gravelly loam soils. A mild, dry winter and a spring with ample rain, was followed by a warm, even summer, interspersed with timely rainfall events. Free run juice is fermented in stainless steel and held off from malolactic fermentation. Sterile filtration, minimal sulfur addition.
Professional Ratings
-
Australian Wine Companion
Previously known as Black Label Riesling. Bath salts, citrus pith, hints of juniper, shaved fennel and crushed star anise. 2021 was a cool vintage in WA, and has imbued this wine with an extra layer of minerality and spice. The coiled Frankland acidity is verging on tart at this young age. I recommend you put this one away for a year (or 2) before drinking it. Tuck into your '20s, and let this one come together, because it will, and it will be glorious.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Quite pale in hue, this wine, based in Frankland River (in Western Australia’s far south), is a gentle and pleasant drop, displaying aromas of lime, lemon curd and peach blossom set against a backdrop of ginger spice. The vivid, piercing acidity buoys the delicate fruit. There’s a gently chalky texture, with a limy finish. It should gain some honeyed complexity with a few more years in the bottle.
Other Vintages
2022-
Wine
Enthusiast
Alkoomi (a name taken from a local aboriginal dialect meaning “a place we chose”) is a family owned and operated winery run by Sandy and Rod Hallett. Their fruit is 100% estate grown in the cool climate of Frankland River, a few hours drive southeast of Margaret River.
Sandy’s parents planted the first vines in 1971, producing wine five years later. The vineyard shares similar climatic conditions to those found in Bordeaux. The vineyard is located fifty miles inland from the Southern Ocean, resulting in good winter rains and dry ripening months. Summer days and evenings are cooled by fresh sea breezes, enabling ideal slow ripening of grapes.
All vines are pruned by hand and no herbicides or pesticides are in the vineyard. Any water used during production comes directly from rain collected in dams or tanks. From 2013, solar panels have been installed to minimize carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency.
Today, Sandy and Rod along with winemaker Andrew Cherry work in and oversee all facets of the vineyard and winery. Alkoomi is recognized for its elegant Cabernet, Shiraz and Cabernet blends, while their Riesling has helped establish the reputation of Frankland River as a premier Australian region for this varietal.
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.
Quite remote and unequalled in beauty, the wine regions of Westerm Australia promise endless physical and climatic diversity. From the coolest, seaside vineyards to the hottest inland zones, Western Australia is the source of some of the country’s most sought after wines.