Description
What do you get when you cross great Clare Valley Riesling with a Mosel winemaking legend? This is not the start of joke, it is in fact a reality and the result of a friendship that began through mutual respect for the noble grape, over thirty years ago, between Peter Barry of Jim Barry Wines and the great Dr Erni Loosen of Bernkastel. Following a conversation at a “Riesling Down Under” convention in 2015, Erni agreed to send one of his old 2,800 litre Fuder (a large German wooden barrel) to the Clare Valley in which the Barry’s could mature one of their dry Rieslings. Leading up to the 2017 harvest, Erni chose the south-facing Block 18 on Lodge Hill and suggested it be left to hang a couple of weeks longer than the rest of the vineyard. Fermented with wild yeasts and aged for 12 months (at 10°C) in the oak 'Fuder' cask on its gross lees, before spending a further 11 months in a stainless steel vat on its fine lees. The resulting wine has wonderful texture and a high level of complexity, beautiful palate weight and incredible finesse. The result is without doubt one of the most exciting Australian Riesling releases in recent memory. An Australian GG that is certainly a level above anything previously released from Australia.
Wolta Wolta, which translates from the Aboriginal word for ‘good water’ recognises the original name of the grazing farm Jim Barry bought in February 1977, that is now known as Lodge Hill, is an extraordinary expression of Riesling from the Clare Valley. Erni Loosen has other notable collaborations around the world but it is hard to argue with Jancis Robinson, who writes…“The most exciting to my mind are the Rieslings that have resulted from his more than 30-year friendship with Peter Barry…”
98/100 Points – James Suckling – “This is a mind flip, showing perfectly placed reduction and such completely ripe fruit. There’s a spicy edge to the fresh limes and lemons. Some pastry, too. Exceptionally fresh and intense.
