Atlas Watervale Riesling 2023

Description

Winemaker Adam Barton after working for Scarpantoni (McLaren Vale), Rolf Binder (Barossa), Wynns Coonawarra Estate and iconic Bonny Doon (California) wasted no time to complete a winemaking degree at Adelaide University.  Atlas Wines began on a 26-acre block of land, a vineyard planted with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, on the eastern slopes of the Clare Valley. The year was 2007. Adam Barton and Amy Lane made an investment in Clare and an investment in their future. Their vision for Atlas was pretty simple: to produce great wine from the highest-quality fruit from vineyards with exceptional provenance. Adam has come to understand the complexity and diversity of the Clare Valley, and how the unique characteristics of different sites produce fruit with distinctive qualities. It’s these qualities that they have sought to express through the wines they have made. As such, the Atlas house style is a carefully composed mosaic of the region. It is a true boutique producer. The red wines, sourced primarily from White Hut in the north and Leasingham in the south, are elegant yet powerful, and well structured; the whites, sourced from several sites at Watervale are finely structured, aromatic and pure.

Not suprising James Halliday rated them a 5 Red Star Winery saying “...The quality of the wines is extraordinarily good and extraordinarily consistent.”

The wine reflects its provenance and the unique house style of Atlas Wines. It’s bright and fresh with classic lime, floral and pear drop characters, with notes of pomme fruit, perfume and crisp acidity on the palate. This is a wonderfully aromatic dry riesling with flavours of lime, lemon zest and delicious acidity.

Winemaker notes about the 2023 vintage “Fruit was sourced from premium, dry grown vineyards in the Watervale subregion of the Clare Valley, where the vines are rooted in quintessential “terra rossa” soils over limestone. They are hand-pruned and shoot thinned to ensure balanced ripening, before being harvested in the cool of the night. The combination of these conditions and the long, mild 2023 growing season resulted in concentrated fruit with great levels of natural acidity and ripe fruit flavours.

“We always say that Riesling is made in the vineyard. So, once the fruit was harvested and in the winery, this wine was gently handled with minimal intervention and precise attention to detail. We included a small percentage of solids into the clarified juice prior to fermentation at 12–14ºC in order to build texture while preserving freshness and flavour.

“This Riesling displays lifted aromas of Kaffir lime and citrus blossom that are classically Watervale in nature. The palate is concentrated and flinty with grapefruit and candied peel flavours complemented by hints of green apples, framed around a tight mineral backbone and pithy texture. The crisp acidity, a result of the mild season, gives the wine finesse and great length, which drinks well now but will cellar for many years to come.”

What a super smart release is this 2023 from this quality producer.

“A successful outing of regional typicity for this variety, imbued with fresh cut lime, Pink Lady apples, lemon blossom and faint, leafy herbs. It’s a bit watery in the palate, it sloshes around nicely though, and there’s a cut of lemon sorbet-like tang doing great things for general vitality and energy for the wine. Pleasant as an introductory style, with freshness on its side.” Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion 

**Gold Medal 2023 Adelaide Wine show**

RRP $27   ** Our Special Price $21.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine**