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Clare Valley
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The Clare Valley is without a doubt Australia's coziest home for Riesling, the elegant white grape responsible for both world-class honey-rich sweet botrytis wines, and fragrant, citrus infused dry wines.
In actuality not a single valley, but an interlinked chain of five small valleys, the richly productive pastures and vineyards of the Clare Valley lie only 87 miles north of Adelaide. The altitude of the place, coupled with the shelter of its undulating hills, makes for cool nights and warm days—where in deep, limestone heavy soils white grapes such as Riesling can acquire the steely backbone they need to support their naturally sweet fragrances. Semillon too makes some fragrant, honeyed wines that have gotten quite of bit of recognition outside of Australia. But perhaps the most interesting thing about this small region is that, unlike most other winemaking in the regions known from fragrant whites, it also produces opulent reds which couldn't be more dissimilar. One can find firm and succulent Cabernet Sauvignon, along with one of the gentler, although no less spicy, examples of Australian Shiraz.
Buying Guide: Top Clare Valley Rieslings
  Kilikanoon Mort's Reserve
Riesling Clare Valley
Grapes: 100% Riesling Description: Beautiful pale yellow with glints of green, and crystal clear. Citrus and lime on the nose, with a fresh, biting acidity. Elegant and powerful, with long, lingering flavors on the palate. A fuller style of Riesling in comparison with the others of the Clare Valley. Comment: This is a painstakingly crafted wine, selected from the best fruit in two different forty-five year old vineyards. Food pairing: fruit | dessert | white meats | salads | pate | fish When to drink: Keep for up to 25 years Service temperature: 8°C | 46°F
Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling Clare Valley $15
Description: Characteristically pale straw in color with green hues. Spiced, concentrated lemon and citrus with a mouthwatering minerality. Notes of pineapple, and a lively, persistent presence on the palate. This is a beautifully focused Reisling. Comment: All of the harvest is hand picked from three distinctly unique vineyard sites, two of which reside in the classic Clare region of Watervale, and the other on the eastern edge of the valley. Food pairing: oysters | pate | baked fish When to drink: Keep up to 10-15 years Service temperature: 8°C | 46°F
Jim Barry The Florita Riesling $30
Description: Intense, concentrated citrus with a striking crystal clear pale straw color. Pear, pink grapefruit, lychee, and refreshing splashes of lime present on the palate and on the nose. Bone dry, and with a steely minerality, this wine gives and gives as its flavors persist right through a long, satisfying finish. Comment: The winemakers at Jim Barry characterize this as a “micro-batch,” and that is the best way to describe the care they put into making this wine. Fruit is selected row by row, by hand, in the cool Clare Valley evening. Only 40% of the pressed juice is used, guaranteeing clarity and concentration are at an absolute peak. The 75 acre Florita vineyard was established in the 1960's Food pairing: seafood | pate | shellfish When to drink: Keep up to 20 years Service temperature: 8°C | 46°F
Grapes: 100% Riesling Description: Golden yellow, and bearing strong orange citrus aromas, with white flowers and vanilla. Intense, delicate, and rich. Comment: This is a sweet wine made with a rather interesting technique: the Cordon Cut process in which vine shafts are cut right as the grapes become perfectly ripe. The hanging fruit is then left to concentrate and raisin without being picked. It results in sweetly concentrated wines which explode with the natural flavors of Riesling, and a zippy acidity. Food pairing: aperitif | dessert | fruit | pate When to drink: Keep up to 10 years Service temperature: 8°C | 46°F
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On the Market: Clare Valley Riesling91 Wakefield Estate Shiraz Clare Valley $17 91 Reilly's Old Bushvine Grenache Clare Valley $19 91 Pikes Dry Riesling Clare Valley $19 91 Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling Clare Valley $15 90 Two Hands The Wolf Riesling Clare Valley $19 90 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling Clare Valley $20 90 Mitchell Watervale Riesling Clare Valley $18 90 Marlargo Bolero Riesling Clare Valley $16 90 Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Dry Riesling Clare Valley $19 89 Wakefield Estate Riesling Clare Valley $17 89 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling Clare Valley $20 89 Long Flat Destinations Riesling Clare Valley $15 89 Koonowla Riesling Clare Valley $19 89 Hungerford Hill Riesling Clare Valley $20 88 Tim Adams Riesling Clare Valley $18 88 Reilly's Barking Mad Shiraz Clare Valley $17 88 Leasingham Magnus Riesling Clare Valley $12 88 Koonowla Riesling Clare Valley $19 88 Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling Clare Valley $15 88 Annie's Lane Shiraz Clare Valley $13 88 Angove's Vineyard Select Riesling Clare Valley $19 87 Tim Adams The Fergus Grenache Clare Valley $18 87 Pikes Dry Riesling Clare Valley $19 87 Fire Block Dry Rosé Grenache Clare Valley $14 87 Annie's Lane Riesling Clare Valley $14 86 Reilly's Barking Mad Riesling Clare Valley $15 86 Leasingham Magnus Riesling Clare Valley $12 86 Heath Wines Southern Sisters Reserve Riesling Clare Valley $20 85 Reilly's Watervale Riesling Clare Valley $15 84 Tim Adams Sémillon Clare Valley $18 84 Mitchell Sémillon Clare Valley $16 84 Leasingham Magnus Shiraz Clare Valley $12 *****
92 Jim Barry The Florita Riesling Clare Valley $30 90 Pikes Gill's Farm Viognier Clare Valley $22 90 Grosset Watervale Riesling Clare Valley $29 89 Pikes Dry Riesling Clare Valley $25 89 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling Clare Valley $25 88 Ranfurlys Way Riesling Clare Valley $29 85 Mr. Riggs Watervale Riesling Clare Valley $25
91 Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling Clare Valley $31 91 Pikes The Merle Reserve Riesling Clare Valley $57 90 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling Clare Valley $33
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Grapes: 100% Riesling
Grapes: 100% Riesling
