Robert Oatley Great Southern Riesling

A Riesling from Western Australia

Robert Oatley Great Southern Riesling, 2019

Riesling is something of a wine geek's wine; traditionally, German Riesling was one of the great wines of the world. My 1971 World Atlas of  Wine places Germany immediately after France and gives 25 pages to the country and its Rieslings. By contrast, Italy and Spain come later and get just a few pages each.

Riesling is a late-ripening, high acidity grape that can be made dry, off-dry or very sweet indeed, needs no oak and gains a distinctive dieselly nose with age. It is this versatility, variety and ability to age that make Riesling one of the world's great noble grapes.

Like all Robert Oatley's wines, it is a well-made and sophisticated easy-drinker in its youth, but has the potential for greater complexity from cellaring.

Robert Oatley Signature Series Riesling 2019 – Great Southern, Western Australia (£13.95, Cambridge Wines, Finewinestore.co.uk, Peake wines, Solent Wine Cellar , Seriously Good Wine Company, Russell Vintners) lemon blossom, passion fruit and the beginnings of some aged, diesel; grapefruit, zingy lemon, and lime, sherbet, yellow stone fruit with sweet spices and fresh green apple and pea shoots; steely, pebbly, slatey minerality. Very elegant and harmonious.

Good.

Drinking nicely now and will improve further with age.

Serve as an aperitif or match with seared tuna, smoked salmon or pork rillettes.

For more ideas on food matches, see this article from Fiona Beckett: THE BEST FOOD PAIRINGS FOR DRY (OR OFF-DRY) RIESLING