Day 23 of Clare Valley Vintage - There's no Riesling with me

Published: 23 July, 2008

G'day Folks. I think it's safe to say that after the last couple of days fine tuning juices - I've officially been Ries'ld.

Of course I'm not totally sure what that means but I do believe it's one of the better conditions to be diagnosed.

To review all of the Riesling beauties on the bench after they've been cleanly racked is such a joy. My dentist loves it too. He is very grateful I assist with his mortgage every year. It's a small price to pay for such happiness me thinks.

I think 2008 with be very popular with the wider wine community. Rieslings that are full of flavour and punchy citrus fruit character balanced with salivating acidity. They're not the delicate and austere 2002 vintage Rieslings, or the juicy mineral 2005's - the 2008's are packing a punch and these babies mean business.

If you think about describing wine characters by their shape, then this year's Riesling makes your hips sway. It's full of all of those exotic flavours that make me think of curves and soft edges - or maybe that's just my vintage diet kicking in.

When we describe wine we should always remember what it looks like because the shape can help us explain the texture and the structure of the wine. Forget about the specific characters - what does it feel like?

Shape wise if I was to draw this vintage Riesling, funnily enough I think it would look a little like 2008 really. With their concentrated flavour and shapely figures they definitely suit the year and so it seems that 07 with all its sharp, tight edges finally sat back and relaxed a little.

With all the vintage chaos currently, anything that involves relaxation has got to feel good.

So with juices clarified, some acid profiles tweaked and styles confirmed, the parcels are heading towards the fermentation start line up. I'm so looking forward to all of those lifted hypnotic aromas from Riesling ferments that are so addictive filling the winery. Now that's a condition I'm happy to share.

Kerri Thompson is winemaker/director of KT & The Falcon

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