Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling 2022
MEYER LEMON • WET SLATE • JASMINE BLOSSOM
Another beautiful vintage in a long line of wonderful Rieslings from Duke's Vineyard. From a cooler vintage but with all the power, drive and grace you have come to expect. The '22 is a many-layered blend of the depth of the older block with the complexity of the young block. Lovely fruit/acid balance. Very pale straw, flinty green hues; aromas of lime zest, Meyer lemon, lemon sherbet, hints of cucumber and green melon; palate of lemon and lime, hints of white citrus blossom, soft powdery textural acidity, long, mineral, elegant. One to age. 750ml.
Accolades
97 points and Best WA Riesling, WA Wine Review 2023
Duke’s Rieslings are quite remarkable. I don’t think there is a more powerful and intense Riesling made in (WA). Over the years, they have continued to excel reflecting both the winemaking and the exceptional site which brings something special to the wines. The quality of Riesling from the Great Southern in its various subregions is remarkable. The region is now firmly established as one of Australia’s premier Riesling regions. This marvelous Porongurup estate was started by Duke Ranson, who established an outstanding reputation for his Rieslings before he sold it in 2022 to experienced winemaker Ben Cane.
95+ points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
This 2022 Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling is the first under new ownership, and it leads with a distinctly different nose than usual. It's challenging to pin down, but here goes: in place of the pristine white flowers and talc that is expected, there is swirling ash/embers, straw/hay, bison grass and graphite/bitumen and a pronounced petrichor/ozone character leads the charge. Behind it are pencil shavings, Dispirin (aspirin), the crackle of summer grass and oxalis. It's salty and mineral, gray and rocky, austere and sleek. Whether it's the season or not, this is a change in style for the Magpie Hill Reserve. Very different indeed.
95 points, The Real Review
Smoky struck-flint reduction at first sniff then a suite of fruit aromas gradually unfolds, floral, mineral, green apple and lemon to the fore. The wine is tightly wound and very restrained, delicate and tense, needing time to emerge fully. Lively acidity is neatly integrated into the wine. A long-term wine for sure, a style that needs time and will richly reward even a few years cellaring.
Appearance: very pale straw, flinty green hues
Aroma: struck flint, wet slate, and lime zest; Meyer lemon, lime juice, and grapefruit pith; lemon sherbet, hints of cucumber, and green melon
Palate: lime with a hint of lemon and lavender; hints of white citrus blossom; soft powdery textural acidity; long, mineral, elegant; tightly coiled yet slowly unfurling; lime sorbet pucker; racy, precise, long, and laser focused. One to age
Cool wet winter with a very high rainfall followed by a warm to hot and dry summer. The vines grew quickly developing excellent canopies. Delayed bud burst which affected flowering and gave lower yields. Good tannin ripeness (physiological ripeness) with deep colours in red grapes. Whites and rosé had very complex aromatics and flavours with bright acidities. This was a cool vintage, which allowed slow development of complex characters and beautiful acidities within the grapes.
Hand-picked grapes were meticulously sorted on the vine and during picking. The fruit was chilled to 0C overnight in a cool room then whole bunch pressed in a tank press. A champagne style press cycle was used with minimal rotations to minimise colour and phenolic/tannin pick up. Cool fermented at 15C in stainless steel with selected yeast (QA23) for aromatic whites for three weeks, aged on lees (grape and yeast solids) for two months, and bottled in June. This was a year of balance and finesse with ample plushness and generosity, resulting in wines that are finely balanced and have very good aging potential.
- Vintage 2022
- Alcohol 12.1%
- Vineyard 100% Estate Grown
- Varietal Riesling
- Country Australia
- Region Great Southern, Western Australia
- Sub-region Porongurup
- Residual sugar 0.45 g/l
- pH 2.85
- Acidity 8.8 g/l