Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2022

Description

The Mitchell Wines journey began more than 70 years ago when a young mixed farmer, Peter McNicol Mitchell, used his hands to breathe life into a small patch of vineyard in the western hills of the Clare Valley. With Andrew and Jane Mitchell seeing the light and establishing Mitchell Wines in 1975, it has now grown to encompass 40 hectares under vine, a winery, and a bottling hall. Mitchell Wines is now led by third generation siblings, Angus, Edwina, and Hilary.

Mitchell Watervale Riesling is crafted in the same traditional, low intervention style that has been used consistently for the past 45 years. The crop is hand picked and treated carefully in the winery, where only the highest quality free-run juice is used. The wine undergoes a slow, gentle fermentation with indigenous vineyard yeast. An extended period on fine lees, resulting in a textural and balanced wine, characterised by its refreshing acid, finesse and approachable elegance. This style of Riesling making is defined by a fine and approachable young wine with the ability to develop and evolve over years in the bottle.

A dry and cool Autumn led to above average rainfall across winter and spring. High soil moisture throughout the growing season combined with mild summer temperatures delayed both budburst and version, resulting in near perfect ripening conditions. The flavour development and acid retention across all varieties was exceptional, and one of the latest starts to vintage in more than a decade allowed the grapes to ripen slowly on the vine. A great vintage all round in Clare.

Flinty wet sand minerality with kafir lime and lemon blossom. The flavour is fresh and bright. Struck match flintiness with exotic limes. Long and linear with sweet fruit and textural tangents giving the wine complexity and generosity. Extraordinary riesling is this!  12.3% Alc. Residual Sugar 0.28g/L

Chair of JudgesTrophy at the 2022 Clare Valley Wine Show – awarded not only to the 2022 Riesling but also their 2015 and 2002!  “Winning this award was certainly unexpected .. We know how well our Rieslings look after years in the bottle, so it was great to have our views affirmed. Consistency is a term we live by at Mitchells, so to receive the award for not one, but three vintages of Watervale Riesling speaks in volumes to our winegrowing ethos, and is a credit to our whole team.” Angus Mitchell.

Number 7 Top 100 Wines of Australia; Number 11 Top Value Wines in the World and 97 points, Stuart Piggot for JamesSuckling.com “Incredibly elegant and delicate with tons of floral aromas, the lime usually associated with this appellation way in the background on the front-palate, then growing in intensity as the wine flows gracefully over the palate. Wonderful textural complexity. Very polished acidity drives the brilliant and very long finish.”

96 points, Andrew Caillard, MW “Pale colour. Fragrant lemon curd, lime, camomile aromas with herb garden notes and a hint of tonic water. Beautifully concentrated wine with lovely lemon curd, grapefruit lime flavours, some tonic water notes, fine lacy slightly al dente textures and long fresh crisp acidity. Lovely density and line. “

95 points, Jeni Port, Wine Pilot “This is a moment for Clare’s strong suit, a rich vein of citrus that carries all before it. Texture is already apparent and brings with it a smoothness like lemon curd which helps to amplify the clean intensity of the citrus. Spice and apple notes across the palate play a supporting role. Racy acidity, another bonus in a great year, is energised and fully integrated. This little beauty is ready to be enjoyed now and will keep keeping on for years.”

93 points, Mike Bennie for James Halliday Wine Companion “A ripper for the bucks. Stoically centred on hallmark sweet lime, green apple, gingery spice and lively jasmine floral elements in bouquet and palate. Done and done right. There’s a lick of fruity sweetness to taste, delivering a little extra bandwidth in the palate, but that works as a comely beacon for drinkability and easy appeal. That gingery filigree through the finish is stellar. Love that. All up, a very Clare classic style, but with more dimension, and, again, to stutter, huge value.”

RRP $28  **Our Special Price $23.99* VERY LIMITED – LAST STOCK of this vintage.

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